Saviour in Disguise
by greeneyes-99
Summary: Bella's stuck in a bank robbery! Who is one of the robbers? Why is he helping Bella? Bella's adventure through the robbery and after. Does she meet one of the robbers again? What does she do when she finds out who he truly is . . .
1. Chapter 1

Today started off the same as every other day I suppose. I have a pretty average boring life. Nothing interesting. I've got an average job. I work at a small time magazine. I get paid a decent amount of money. I mean, it pays the bills for my small apartment that isn't exactly in the best part of town. Living in the city is expensive.

My name is Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella. My mother's name is Renee, whom I lived with until I was 17. I then moved into the small town of Forks with my Dad. I finished high school, then went to University in Seattle, which is where I now live.

I still have my old red truck that my dad bought me when I was 17. I'm now 21 and have grown completely attached to it. I think my Dad regrets buying it for me. He thinks its too dangerous to drive and wanted to buy me a new one, but I refused.

So I certainly didn't expect the excitement that I was going to get today.

I was still loafing around in bed when my cell phone rang. I groaned and pulled myself up, trying to get it. I usually got up much earlier, but today was Saturday, my day off and I couldn't bear the thought of getting up early. My plan was disrupted though by my ringing phone.

"Hello?" I asked groggily.

"Bella. It's Mike Newton."

I perked up immediately. It was my boss. "Hello Mr. Newton." I said again, a little clearer.

"Ms. Swan, I expect you to be into work at 1:00pm." He demanded.

My mouth dropped in surprise, "But, Mr. Newton, I thought we agreed that we were going to have a day off today!"

"Ms. Swan! I will have no complaints. We've got a huge story that needs to be published as soon as possible and I need you on it!"

"But . . ."

"you do like having a job, don't you?" At that question I shut up.

"Yes, I'll be at the office soon."

With that Mr. Newton hung up on me. Asshole.

I checked the clock and it read 11 o'clock. I rushed into the shower. I seriously smelled.

After my shower, I grabbed my black pencil skirt off the hanger and my white blouse that was a bit ruffled around the neckline. I grabbed my think red belt and fastened that around my hips.

I pulled my black pumps with the red border around it on. I grabbed my purse and blazer before locking the door and heading towards the elevator.

Once I turned my truck on, I noticed the gas gauge. My gas tank was almost empty. I groaned in frustration and sped down the road towards the gas station.

I parked my car at a pump and grabbed my wallet out of my purse. When I opened my wallet, I saw that I was missing my only credit card. I looked around frantically before remembering that it was still in my jeans that I wore out last night with my friend Alice.

I checked to see if I had any cash, but again, I had none. I let out another groan. Everything seemed to be going wrong today!

I got back into my truck and prayed that there would be enough gas to at least get me to the bank.

Thank god for small miracles, because I actually made it.

I quickly parked and rushed into the bank.

As soon as I got in, I could tell that it was just another busy Saturday where everyone seemed to move slow. I looked a little out of place. Everyone was in their casual wear, and I was dressed for work.

I got in line to wait for the bank machine. Everyone was moving in slow motion. I began to tap my feet nervously, glancing at my watch. By this rate, I was going to be late for work. I still needed to pick up lunch.

The line was slowly moving up. I was only two people away from the bank machine.

I glanced out the doors, thinking wistfully of the beautiful day I was wasting by being indoors. The bank machine was close to the doors, so I took that time to day dream.

The person who was currently at the bank machine, seemed to be having problems with something. The person in front of me began voicing their complaints. I glanced at them nervously.

During this time that I was distracted, four people walked into the bank holding guns. They also had masks to cover their faces. I began to hyperventilate and everyone began screaming and running around frantically.

One of the guys shot off his gun in the air, everyone shrieked and ducked.

"Everybody get down! This is a bank robbery!"

My day couldn't possibly get any worse.

I was so close to the bank robbers, considering that I was at the front of the bank. One of them looked over towards me and we held eyes for a minute before his shoulder was jostled by another bank robber. "Keep your head in the game Ed. You'll get your piece of ass later." I blushed at that comment.

Everybody was herded into the back of the bank behind the counters. Upon closer examination, I noticed that one of the robbers, was in fact, a woman. The rest were men though. All of them were tall.

The robbers were waving their guns around, maybe as a tactic to scare us? Well, it was making me nervous. Who knows what these people would do? They could be crazy and deranged and I could just go off on a killing spree!

Somebody must've pressed the silent alarm, because within minutes the outside of the bank was swarming with cops and FBI.

The robbers seemed to be arguing about something. I got the gist of it, though it was hard to hear. They wanted a main hostage that they threatened the police with. One robber, the one with the blond hair sticking out of the mask began to come towards me. He grabbed my arm and hauled me up, close to him, "You're perfect. They wouldn't dare endanger a beautiful girl like you." His breath washed over my face. It was disgusting and my day just got even worse.

I was scared now. What if they shoot me? If they are going to shoot anybody, the first on would be me. The tallest robber looked angry. I could tell by the way he was holding himself. It was the Ed guy. "Put her back." He hissed with a dramatically gruff voice. Maybe he was trying to disguise himself.

The blond guy seemed to become angry at this. He pulled me even closer towards him, "You're not the one calling the shots Ed. I can do what I want, or a bullet goes into her head." He emphasized this by shoving the barrel into my temple. I shivered with fear and nerves.

Ed backed down. It was weird that a robber cared for my well-being.

Then, the phone rang. Everybody's heads snapped towards it. Everyone was silent.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Twilight.**

Then the phone rang. I expected it was the police, attempting to barter for out lives.

Blonde guy dragged me with him towards the phone. He picked it up, "Hello? This is James speaking." He said pleasantly, almost like how he would be answering his home phone. I heard someone speaking on the other line. Whatever he said put a frown on James' face. "Do you think I'm really that stupid?" James roared gripping my arm, "If I release the hostages, what's stopping you from shooting me? Besides, who am I supposed to shoot if I give all the hostages away?"

The person he was speaking to began talking quickly. James cut him off, "I've got a girl with me right now. She's really quite beautiful." He said running his fingers across my cheekbone. I jerked my head back, "But I'm sure you can see her though. I know you're watching us. You don't want anything to happen to her, right? I might just have to take her to the back and . . ." He trailed off suggestively.

Again, the person on the other line began talking quickly. James seemed bored, "I want food and water. Bring it to us. Unless you want somebody to die." I began shaking again. James slammed the phone down into the cradle. "This freaking blows! I need something to do. Ed bring her to the back rooms." I knew what was going to happen. I tugged at my arm trying to get it free. James back handed the side of my head, "Stop that! You're annoying me."

Ed came closer and grabbed my other arm gently. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ed asked, "I mean, you are expecting food to come. Shouldn't you be out here keeping an eye on things?"

James seemed to appraise Ed for a minute, "I know you want her for yourself. Fine. You can have her. Think of her as a gift."

Ed then dragged me to the back. I was kicking and screaming the whole way. Ed shoved me into a small office in the back. Ed was blocking the door way. We stood there for a few minutes staring at each other. He had nice green eyes. I shook that thought from my head.

James then stood behind Ed and fear gripped me. Ed seemed to calm me down with his mellow attitude, but James seemed twitchy and high strung, which in turn made me nervous.

"If you're not going to use your gift, then give her back." James said.

Ed blocked his way, "She's mine. I'll do it."

"I'll be up front. Have fun." James said leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ed came closer to me. I scuttled away. No way was I letting him touch me. He advanced faster on me and before I could do anything to defend myself, he grabbed my arms and threw me painfully on the ground. I screamed in fear. Ed got down on his knees beside me, grabbing at my shirt, tearing it a bit. I screamed even louder. He gripped my hips and pulled me closer. I kicked and fought my hardest but to no avail. He was so strong.

He grabbed a handful of my skirt on either side of me tearing it a bit at the hem, just like my shirt. I began screaming again, long and loud. My fingers began grasping around, searching for something I could use as a weapon. My fingers came in contact with a metal waste basket. I chucked that toward Ed's direction. I heard it hit him and his hands loosened on me. I jumped up and bolted towards the door. Hands gripped the back of my shirt roughly.

My feet flew out from beneath me and I hit my head on the desk, knocking all of the stuff on it off. He was on top of me again shouting, "Stop!"

Again, my hand came into contact with something. It was a metal name tag thing that went at the front of the desk so everybody knew who it belonged too. It was solid and heavy. I lifted that and brought it down on Ed's head. He let out a string of profanities and I crawled out from under him again running towards the door.

A hand gripped my thigh and I fell to the ground, screaming the whole way. "Let go of me!" I screamed. "Stop!"

Again, I was under Ed and I just gave up. There was no use. He was too strong and I couldn't do anything to stop him. I was just prolonging the agony. Ed pinned my arms underneath him. His whole body was over top of mine. I could feel his body heat through our clothes. My eyes filled with tears, "Stop. Please stop." I whimpered out sobbing.

Ed crawled off of me sighing loudly and angrily. His eyes looked grim and unhappy. He stood up and offered me a hand to help me up. I recoiled from him. He terrified me. He just sighed again and hauled me to my feet.

He led me back towards the front where the other hostages were. I'm positive they could hear my screams and cries. When we both emerged and saw my appearance their eyes turned sympathetic and pitying. I felt horrible. I didn't want them to look at me anymore. I felt disgusting. Nothing actually happened, but it was still unpleasant.

Ed gently pushed me to the ground beside the other hostages. I did so compliantly. I didn't want any more attention put on myself. I could still feel the stares of the other hostages. I could feel the fear from the women and the anger from the men. Everybody wanted out of this situation.

I caught a glimpse of my face from the shiny windows. I had a small cut on my forehead and my lip was bleeding and cut too. I don't know how that happened. My face was also bruising. I glanced down at myself. My shirt was torn open, showing a lot of my bra. I clenched the fabric together in order to cover myself. An older man, who looked to be around 90 handed me his pull over sweater. I smiled at him gratefully and pulled it on. I moved closer to him, thankful that he was actually helping me.

I continued to peruse over my body. There was a bruise on my thigh in the form of a hand print. I noticed other people eyeing that too. My skirt also had a slit up the side from when Ed ripped it.

"Are you alright?" the old man asked in a weathered down voice.

I nodded my head shakily, "Thank you for the sweater." I said.

He smiled affectionately, "Don't worry about it sweetheart. You know, I've got a granddaughter around your age. She looks just like you!"

That's the thing I love about grandparents. They thought that everyone looked like their grandchildren and they treated you like it, "Really?" I asked.

He nodded, his voice shaking from old age, "She's really pretty, just like you and strong, like you."

I laughed humorlessly, "I'm not strong." I said truthfully.

"Of course you are. You just don't know it." He said.

"Thank you." I said, my eyes tearing up.

The old man fumbled around in his fanny pack and pulled out a clean pack of tissues and a lolly-pop. He handed me the tissues and the candy, "This will make you feel better. Sugar always makes people feel better. Don't worry dear, everything will be over soon."

I took the tissues and wiped my face. I felt a bit childish eating a lolly-pop, but it did make me feel better. I haven't had a lolly-pop since I was about 6. They used to be my favorite.

I let out a shaky breath and said, "I just wish I was somewhere else right now."

The old man dug around in his fanny pack again. It was actually kind of funny.

He pulled out a weathered picture and handed it to me. It was a picture of a palm tree on the edge of a beautiful beach with crystal blue water. The man pointed at the picture with wrinkled fingers, "I took this. I used to be a photographer. This is my favorite place in the whole world. I always keep it with me when I want to be in a different place. I can't travel anymore by plane, but this picture helps me remember what it looks like."

The picture was beautiful. I thanked him again, "No worries." He assured me, "You may keep it. My wife would've been angry if I didn't give it to you."

"Would've?" I asked.

He nodded sadly, "She passed away last year." He seemed like he was remembering her, "She was beautiful. She had big beautiful blue eyes and was always kind to people. She was my other half. The better half of me." He laughed. "She was beautiful until the day she died." His eyes looked sad now.

I thought it was terribly romantic that he thought his wife was the most beautiful woman in his world, even in their old age. I wanted what he and his wife had. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Bella." I said remembering that I didn't know his name and he didn't know mine.

He smiled warmly at me, "George."

Just then, James came over and hit the back of his gun on George's side, "Be quiet. I'm sick and tired of hearing you two yapping away."

George wheezed out air as James left us. "Are you alright?" I asked frantically.

George nodded and waved me away. He was gripping the bottom of his walker.

Soon, his breath went back to normal and I relaxed. He can't die on me. As selfish as it was of me, he was the only person that I was comfortable with around here. We had to stick together. I don't think I can make it through this if George isn't here with me.

George and I remained quiet and I glanced at the clock that was stuck to the wall. It read 1:32pm. Looks like I'm late for work. Not that I care exactly.

James let out a roar of frustration. He grabbed the phone roughly and held it to his ear. When somebody answered he roared out, "Where's the supplies I asked for? This is taking too long!"

Someone spoke on the other line and James hung up, "The food's here. I'm going to get it. They left it outside. Vic, watch the hostages, Laurent, cover my back. Make sure that no one shoots me." I noticed that James didn't ask Ed to do anything and he seemed fine with that.

James then came towards us again, gun in hand. He grabbed my arm and hauled me up, "You're the insurance." He hissed in my ear. I began shaking.

George struggled to his feet, gripping his walker, "Leave her be. She hasn't done anything to you."

"Sit down!" James roared pointing the gun at George. I began sobbing.

"Please sit down George!" I begged. I couldn't let him get hurt.

"No." George said defiantly, "Not until you let the girl go."

James looked bored, "Alright then." He said firing the gun at George.

He fell and I screamed in horror.

**There you go! Don't you just love George? He's such a nice guy. And what do you think about the guy named Ed? He's a little strange, isn't he? **

**Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review. I like to get some feed back. I'm up for positive or negative. Just please be nice. It only takes like 15 seconds to review, not even! So please take the time to do it. Thanks!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Twilight. **

I gaped at George in horror. He was lying on the ground, his shaky hands pressed to the wound. No one else moved. I think everyone was in shock. It angered me though. Somebody could help him!

"George!" I screamed. I began struggling against James. I began hitting him and punching him but it didn't seem to affect him.

James curled his hand into a fist and gave my neck a good punch. I clutched at my neck and gasped for air. I couldn't breathe!

James then took this time to drag me unwillingly out of the bank. On our way out, I saw the Ed guy standing up nervously. Looks like he got in too deep. He had conflicting emotions in his eyes. It seemed that he wanted to be here, maybe for the money? But he didn't want anyone to get hurt.

I was still wheezing for breath as we stepped outside. The fresh air helped me breathe a little bit.

There was a cardboard box that I was assuming was full of food and water. It was approximately halfway from the bank and from where the FBI and police were. James pressed the gun against my temple and held me in front of him, sort of like a shield.

"The food and water are in the box. You are free to come and get it." Somebody said using a loudspeaker. I turned my head to see who it was. The voice sounded familiar. I gasped when I saw who it was. Jacob Black. I hadn't seen him in ages! He was the son of my dad's friend named Billy Black. Jacob and I used to hang out a bit when we were teenagers. He always talked about becoming a federal agent. I guess he got his wish. Crappy way to reconnect though.

I looked into Jacob's eyes and I knew that he recognized me. I knew that he was only pretending he didn't for my sake. I could see the sweat on Jake's brow, though he appeared calm and collected. I could tell that this particular case was stressing him out. He used to have a little crush on me, though I don't know if it still lasts now.

James and I walked forward. When we got to the box James said, "Pick up the box slowly."

I bent down. I could feel the gun pressed to my head the whole way. My arms strained against the heavy box. I looked inside and saw that there was a couple large boxes of pizza and a lot of water bottles. I'm guessing that they were hoping that the hostages would be fed too. I thought it kind of strange that we were given pizza. I didn't exactly know what kind of food would be given actually. Maybe pizza was the fastest thing they could get on such short notice. I almost began giggling thinking of a federal agent rushing into a Pizza Hut and demanded for 5 large pizzas for a group of hostages and bank robbers.

The box was extremely heavy and I was struggling against its weight. I could see the frustration in Jacob's eyes. I gave him a tiny weak smile to assure him that I could manage.

We were almost back to the doors of the bank when I rested the box on my knee. I had to stop, it was just too heavy. James dug the gun into my shoulder, leaving a bruise I'm sure, "Get up and don't you dare dawdle."

I felt a surge of anger shoot through me, "Do you want me to drop this thing? That'll take even slower." I snapped.

James glowered at me and slammed the gun against my shoulder. I cried out in pain, dropping the box. A few water bottles rolled out.

"Pick up the damn box. You'll regret it if you don't do it quickly." James hissed in my ear.

I hurried and grabbed the few water bottles that fell out and heaved the box back up. I looked towards Jacob again, for reassurance. He was staring holes at me. He was clutching his gun. It looked like he wanted to use it. I knew that he wasn't allowed to though. If he shot James, he didn't know if the other robbers in the bank might get angry and start killing all the hostages. So Jacob had to let us go, as much as he hated it.

We walked the rest of the short distance into the bank and James shut the door securely behind us. He locked it then.

He still led me towards the back of the bank, away from the windows. I set the box down and hesitantly turned towards James.

He let out an angry growl and wrapped his hands around my neck, choking me, "You stupid bitch! You could've gotten me killed!" He continued shaking me around like a rag doll.

Ed stepped forward, "James, knock it off. The cops can hear you y'know. You don't want them to think you're losing your cool."

James gingerly let go of me and I gulped in a deep breath. He jerked his head signaling me to go to the other hostages. I ran off towards where George was still lying. He was bleeding heavily still.

"George?" I whispered frantically.

He pulled his head up. He was so pale, "Are you alright sweetheart?" He asked faintly.

I nodded my head, tears coming back to my eyes, "I'm sorry George. It's all my fault. Why didn't you sit back down?" I asked.

George held weakly onto my hands, "You're worth fighting for Bella. Promise me that you will come to my funeral?" He asked.

I let out a sob, "You won't die!" I said.

He smiled tenderly at me, "I'm an old man Bella. I know when my time is up. I'm glad that I will go this way, trying to protect you. Sorry I didn't do a very good job."

I shook my head furiously, "You did a perfect job George. Thank you."

George gave me another weak smile, "My granddaughter passed away last year also. From cancer." I didn't know why George was telling me this.

"I'm sorry." I said a bit confused.

"The only family member I have left is my niece. Will you speak to her for me? I don't want her to be alone." George asked me.

I nodded, "Of course I will. I promise you."

George smiled at me, "You really are strong . . ." He trailed off. The light seemed to leave his eyes and he got more obviously paler. I knew he had died.

I held his hand for a little while longer. I couldn't let go. I just kept staring into his blank eyes. I wanted him to come back to me. I didn't want him to be gone. He was so kind. He still had so much life in him, though he was old. George was one of the bravest and greatest people I had ever met.

I suppose I sat there staring blankly at George for quite a while. I didn't notice when Ed came over. He gently took my hand out of George's and he placed it at my side. I was still staring into George's eyes. Ed then gently closed them. He whispered what sounded like I'm sorry. I glanced up sharply at Ed and looked at him. Really looked at him. He seemed different than James, or even that Laurent guy or Vic. They seemed harsh and cold. Ed seemed sympathetic and apologetic. It didn't make any sense as to why he was here. I was most angry at him. I wanted him to just take off that stupid mask so I could see him. I wanted to put a face to the person that I hated so much. "I hate you." I voiced.

Ed took in a sharp breath and stood up quickly, moving to the back rooms. I hope he was in pain, though I didn't know what about. He deserved it after everything that he has done here.

I glanced around at the other hostages. They all looked tired and haunted. I wondered if I looked like that too. A woman took of her jacket and placed it over George's upper body, covering his face. Nobody needed to see a dead body.

I honestly didn't know how long everybody was going to last.

**Hey readers! **

**There is chapter 3! I was so sad and upset writing how George died. I kind of wanted to keep him alive, but I needed to continue the story as planned. So who will George's niece be? All will be revealed in a few chapters, so keep reading! And what about Ed's strange behavior? **

**Again, **_**please review because it takes less than 15 seconds**_**! Thanks!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Twilight**

The atmosphere in the bank was different now that George died. Everyone nibbled on the left over pizza that the robbers gave us.

It seems that Ed has fallen out of James' good graves. James was talking more with Laurent and Vic. Ed was standing off to the side glaring moodily around the room.

I hardly ate any of the pizza that was given. I was too stressed to eat. James on the other hand seemed thrilled. I guess everything was going according to his plan.

None of the hostages has spoken to each other. The bank tellers seemed at a total loss at what to do. I mean, it's their bank, they should be prepared for stuff like this!

So everything was calm, I mean, nobody was getting yelled or shot at. Does that count as being calm?

James was laughing and he swung his arm around the woman named Vic's shoulders. She seemed to be whining, "James, when can we take off these masks, I'm getting hot in it."

"You can take it off when we leave. No sooner." James informed her.

"But it's so hot!" She complained.

James removed his hand from her shoulders and stormed across the bank. Geez, how moody can a guy get? This guy was seriously unstable. What kind of guy gets pissed from that? And he was all happy like five seconds ago. I was paying close attention to everyone. I wanted to remember everything clearly so that I could recount everything to the police accurately. I owed that much to George, and his niece, whoever she was.

Just then, there was a humming noise and a slight boom as if something was turning off. After a few more moments I realized that the air conditioning had turned off. It was a pretty warm day too!

James and the rest of the robbers looked up at the vents, "What the hell is going on?" James demanded. Too be honest, I was wondering why the air conditioning was turned off also.

To my utter surprise, Ed began laughing. James turned and glared at him, "What the hell is your problem? What is really so funny?"

Ed didn't seem intimidated, "Geez, I don't even know why I decided to do this with you guys. You're obviously too stupid to function!"

James raised his gun and pointed it at Ed, "Shut up!"

Ed held his hands up in surrender, but he was still chuckling, "Did it occur to you that maybe they shut the air conditioning off because of Vic's bitching?" He asked.

James looked confused, until it dawned on him. Vic was complaining about how she wanted to take her mask off because of the heat. The police must've shut the air conditioning off trying to make them take off their masks.

James swung his gun and pointed it at a surprised Vic. "Jamie, baby, I didn't know they were going to shut it off!"

"I've put up with your complaining and whining, but you just have to go and mess fuck up, don't you?" James demanded.

"Jamie . . ." Vic trailed off as James fired the gun. The bullet hit right in the center of her chest and she crumpled to the ground.

Ed stopped laughing but a small smirk graved his full lips. "It's about time we got rid of her." James said, sounding slightly satisfied.

Ed was standing quite close to me so I heard him mumble, "About time before we start turning on each other. These dumb fucks." I don't know what Ed was complaining about. He was part of the "dumb fucks" little group.

It was maybe about an hour or so later when it started getting really hot. And when I mean really hot I mean sauna hot. All the windows and the doors were shut causing the bank to become stuffy. And we 30 or so people in here, the heat was just building.

The robbers were sweating through their masks. Vic was lying in a puddle of blood. I was numb by now. At first I stared at horror at the body, but eventually, my emotions just stopped and I was now staring blankly at the wall.

I guess the smell became too much for James because he ordered two of the men in my group to drag George and Vic outside. He told them that if they tried to make a run for it, he was going to shoot five of the hostages. Both the men had their wives with them. They dropped the bodies off outside and came back in willingly, joining their loved ones.

Ed disappeared for a few minutes and when he came back, he had the mask up on his head like a hat, covering his hair and a scarf loosely tired around his nose and mouth. He looked to be a lot cooler than the other robbers. He also shed his black jacket to reveal a black t-shirt. He tied his jacket around his waist.

James was sitting down on a chair, sticking his hand up his mask. His hand came down wet. He let out a frustrated growl. He stood up and stormed over to me hauling me up by the arm.

He stalked over to the phone and said, "We're going to get them to turn on the freaking air conditioning if it's the last thing I do!" He growled.

He picked up the phone. I could hear it ringing before Jacob's voice greeted James pleasantly. "What the fuck happened to the air conditioning?"

I was standing so close to James that I heard Jacob's response, "Now you know that I'll turn on the air conditioning once you take those masks off."

"Fuck that!" James growled, "I'm the one with the hostages, and I'm the one calling the shots." James twisted my arm painfully, "You don't want anything to happen to her, do you?"

I heard Jacob's voice on the other line. He sounded a bit frantic, "Don't hurt Bella." As soon as he said it, all three of us knew that he screwed up.

James smiled in a deranged way, "Bella you say? Is she your girlfriend? So you do care then if she gets hurt." He enunciated this by pulling my arm further. I gasped.

Jacob was making strangled noises on the other line. "You might want to turn the air conditioning on." James warned, "Cause I've got something you want." He then slammed the phone back down.

Now that the phone was down, James stopped the charade. I was spun to face James, "How do you know him?"

I shook my head and stuttered, "I – I don't know him."

"Don't lie to me!" James roared slapping me. Tears sprung to my eyes.

"H – he must've heard me talking with George." I choked out.

"Who the hell is George?" James demanded. He was getting angry and restless.

"The man you killed." I whispered.

"That old fool?" He demanded.

"He wasn't a fool!" I said boldly shoving my palm into James' nose. He swore and released me. Blood gushed from his nose.

"You bitch!" He said. He curled his hand into a fist and punched me square in the cheek. I could feel it swell instantly.

James raised his hand to hit me again when someone jerked me sharply away and said, "I'll take her to the back again."

James shook with rage, "Go right ahead, do whatever you want to her."

James then stalked over to where Laurent was sitting and sat down in a chair.

Ed dragged me to the back. I fought the whole way. I thought that maybe he would finish what he actually started last time. The other hostages gave me sad and sympathetic looks. I ignored all of them. Sympathy wouldn't help me.

Ed shoved me into the bathroom this time and locked the door behind him. I stood in the middle of the small bathroom shaking like a leaf. As much as I wished I were brave, I knew that I wasn't. I was just as scared as everybody else, maybe more since I always seemed to be singled out. Maybe it was just my horrible luck.

Ed grabbed a paper towel and wetted it at the sink. When he came towards me I shrank back, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." His voice was still muffled.

I stood still and he gently pressed the wet cloth to my face, "You really shouldn't hit bank robbers." Ed scolded, but it didn't sound like he meant it.

I just shrugged, "George wasn't a fool."

Ed nodded, "That he wasn't."

I was seriously confused. I eyed Ed warily. What was he doing with James and Laurent? He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. "Why are you robbing this bank?" I asked.

"Um, to get money?" Ed replied like a question.

"No, I mean you personally. Why are you a robber? You seem nice." I said.

Ed choked out a laugh, "Nice? What is wrong with you? I killed that man and you think I'm nice?"

"You didn't kill George. James killed George. All you've tried to do was help me. Every time James got out of control you would make him calm down. You're helping me." I said.

Ed just shrugged, "It's what I was taught to do my whole life."

I waited a minute for Ed to speak. When he didn't I said, "Care to elaborate?"

Ed shook his head. We both went silent as Ed continued to dab my cheek.

**So that is the end of the chapter. I thought that it was a fitting ending. It makes you think a bit. **

**Anyways, the whole bank segment of this story is almost over. In the next chapter or two, James will take the whole hostage situation out of the bank. So keep reading! **

**Please review! It doesn't take long and I always like hearing from people. **

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Twilight.**

Ed and I walked to the front of the bank after he cleaned up my cheek a bit. I eyed Ed warily. What was wrong with him? I also needed to know if he was my ally. I needed someone in this place that I could trust since the other hostages were clearly useless.

"You're not going to kill anyone, are you?" I asked.

Ed looked down at me sharply, "Most likely not." He said softly.

I nodded and I went and joined the other hostages. They were all crying and hugging each other. Honestly, the robbers left them all alone for the most part. They shouldn't be crying this much! If anyone should be crying, it should be me!

I felt someone watching me so I looked up sharply to see Ed. He looked away quickly as if he were embarrassed at being caught.

James waved Ed and Laurent over for a little meeting of sorts. They talked in hushed whispers. I strained to listen. I caught little snippets. Basically James wanted to finish this bank robbery thing and get out of here. It was getting to be too much considering how the air conditioning has yet to turn on.

James came towards us then and gathered up about 5 bank workers. He gave then each a large bag and told them to open the safe and fill it with money.

They walked shakily to the back. They were gone for a few minutes before the came back out with the bags stuffed. James told them to place them down beside him and go and sit back down. They complied easily.

James grabbed three of the bags, leaving only one for Laurent and one for Ed. Ed seemed pissed, "This is all I get? I thought we agreed that I would get two bags. I told you I need it."

"And what exactly do you need this for?" James asked. Ed didn't say anything, he just glared at James. He wasn't going to answer him.

"Then I'm not giving you anything. You got your fair share." James said.

"My fair share? What about yours! You got three bags, I only got one!" Ed roared.

James stood up to his full height as a challenge to Ed. He wasn't nearly as tall though, "I'm the leader, I get the most."

Ed scoffed at that, "I told you half the things you should do! You're no leader!"

James pointed his gun at Ed, "You better watch you mouth."

Ed turned away angrily, clearly not intimidated by James, "Whatever. Let's just get this done. You can release all the hostages now. We don't need them anymore."

James shook his head, "We keep three."

Ed turned around sharply, "What? I thought we were releasing everybody. You said that nobody was supposed to get hurt. Look, we've got two people dead!"

James shrugged, "Plans change."

He came closer to me and I just knew that James was going to keep me. I wasn't surprised really. "I'm using our little Bella. I think that Agent Black won't have a hard time keeping his distance if we use her to threaten him."

Ed shook his head, "I'm not taking one."

James disregarded what Ed said and picked out two other women. He picked the wives of the two men that got the bodies outside. They men stood up shouting and yelling. James shot them both. I jumped at the sound of both gun shots. The women screamed and screamed but James just shoved one towards Laurent, who held her with no problem and Ed who looked shaken himself. "I can't take her." He said.

James just shrugged, "Fine. You can stay here. But I'm taking Bella with me."

Ed took one look at me and followed us outside willingly with the crying woman in tow.

James had his arm around my neck clutching the bag in that hand with the gun at my head in the other hand. Laurent stood the same way as James. Ed just looked a little lost and confused at what to do. Well, confused isn't the right word. Ed knew what he needed to do. He was just having conflicting emotions about actually doing it.

I took another look at Laurent. He didn't talk much. Actually, I haven't heard him speak at all. He was extremely quiet. He didn't put up much of a fuss about the money as Ed did. Maybe it wasn't about the money. Maybe he only got a thrill from this or something. Laurent was a dangerous one.

Out of all three, I thought that Ed was the least dangerous. He didn't inflict unnecessary pain on anybody. Even with the woman he was holding now he seemed to be apologizing to her and holding her quite gently. James on the other hand was holding me extremely roughly, like he forgot that I actually needed to breathe.

James unlocked the front door and he pushed me out. It was dark outside by now. It was hard to believe that we were in the bank for so long. It felt like everything happened so quickly. Thinking back, everything seemed to just be a blur. It caused me to panic slightly. What if I couldn't remember everything clearly? What would I tell the police? I decided to relax. I might not actually make it to questioning.

Once we stepped outside James said, "You'll let us go or I'll put a bullet in her head and I know how much that will affect you Agent Black."

I saw a few other police officers give Jacob a dirty look. Maybe it was because he put me in danger? I didn't blame him though. It was just an accident.

"Lower your weapons." James said. Everyone hesitated. They didn't want to, it was against their training. "Lower them!" James screamed holding me closer to him.

"Lower your weapons everybody!" James ordered. Everyone did though not without grumbling in annoyance.

James walked towards the left of the parking lot where there weren't many police officers and where the cars were parked. I was kept in front of James the whole time.

I looked over towards Ed and Laurent, they were behaving the same way as James. It made me sad to see the way Ed was behaving. I quite liked him actually as twisted as that sounds.

Soon enough, we made it to a large van. James told me to open the door and I did. I was feeling scared now. I didn't want them to take me. Who knew what would happen if they did. What if Jacob couldn't find me? What if they took me to some unknown location?

My eyes connected with Jacob's and I saw that he was in pain himself. His eyes were filled with guilt and anger; possibly at himself, but I figured it was mostly directed at James.

James tossed the bags of money into the back of the van. We walked to the front and James told me to open the driver's seat door. I did and he got in first dragging me behind him. I was sitting on his lap. He took the liberty to smell my hair. I stretched away from him resisting the urge to gag.

Ed and Laurent got in the back of the van after us, slamming the door behind us. James still held me to him and he backed out. He rolled down the window and said, "If anyone follows us, all three of these women will be returned to you with bullets in their brains." I shivered at that thought.

James rolled the window back up and he sped down the road. He took different twists and turns. I tried to remember the way, but I ended up forgetting. He was driving at insane speeds and I was gripping the door trying to hold on. James was laughing his hand digging into my hip. I shifted uncomfortably. James kissed my neck. I cringed away from him. He kept his eyes on the road but continued to suck on my neck, leaving a hicky. Once he saw that he marked me he patted my hip and said, "There's more where that came from." I strained away from him trying to put as much space between our bodies as possible.

After a few more twists and turns in alleys, James shut the car off killing the lights. He opened the door and hauled me out. Ed and Laurent came out of the back with the other two women. "What are we doing here?" Ed demanded.

"Well, we can't just bring those women with us. I am going to keep little Bell here for a little while longer. I haven't yet used her. Kill those two." James said nonchalantly.

Ed shook his head and I heard a loud bang. I turned wide eyed towards Laurent. He had already shot the woman. I gasped in horror. Laurent just picked his bag out of the back and walked off into the darkness of the alley. "Nice working with you guys." Was all he said as a parting gesture.

"See, that wasn't so hard." James said.

"I can't do it." Was all Ed said, "For fucks sake! You already killed her husband!" The woman let out a sob at Ed's words.

James rolled his eyes and fired the gun at the woman. Ed tried to hold her up, but he ended up placing her gently to the ground. Everyone knew that she was already dead. I began shaking. I was so scared. "Aw, are you cold little Bell? Don't worry, I'll warm you up soon enough." His hand was roaming my body.

Ed's head snapped up to our direction, his eyes narrowed into slits. James wasn't paying attention to Ed because he was too busy groping me, so he didn't notice when Ed jumped up, ripped me away from him and wrestled James to the ground. I hit the car pretty hard before smashing into the ground.

I sat there for a little while feeling dazed. I had enough self preservation to huddle into a little ball. I didn't know what to do. I was completely lost and couldn't remember what direction we came from and it was dark. I could hardly see anything. We weren't in the best part of town either, so I didn't want to be wandering alone. I know that these are all weak excuses, but the main reason was that I was too scared to think clearly. I couldn't make my legs cooperate with me in order for me to run away. Maybe I was just too dazed from my fall.

So Ed and James were rolling around on the ground hitting each other when James' gun started going off. I jumped in surprise. James was trying to shoot Ed!

I squeezed my legs closer to my chest. A lot for shots were fired when I felt it. A searing pain in my right shoulder. I gasped in shock and clutched my left hand to it. It came away covered in blood. I let out a little sob of pain. Ed's head snapped into my direction and James took that opportunity to push Ed off of him. I heard faint sirens in the distance.

Now Ed was on his back and James was standing above him. "See ya later Ed. You never were cut out for this anyways." Then James fired the gun.

**Okay, I'm sorry but I just had to cut it off there! It was the perfect place! I'll update soon though, I promise! So school starts in a week. Boo! I don't want to go back. I like sleeping in until 11:00am. So the updates might come a bit later because I'm trying to make the most of this last week. Anyways, thanks for reading! **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Twilight. **

Then James fired the gun. I squeezed my eyes shut in absolute horror. James couldn't have killed Ed! Ed seemed like a genuinely nice guy in the wrong situation! I also knew what was coming to me, what James would do to me and I was beyond terrified. It was different when I thought Ed was going to do it, because I knew that he never would. I knew for sure that James would actually take it that far. He would actually get the job done. He was evil enough to do something like that to a woman. To take away a part of her. It was sick.

So I sat there huddled. I peeled my eyes open carefully not remembering the gun shot. I looked towards Ed and James apprehensively.

To my utter surprise Ed was totally fine. James was still standing above him though. I was positive that I saw James squeeze the trigger. What the hell happened?

"Oh well. Looks like I'm out of bullets Ed. Don't worry though, I'll be back for you." then James turned to me, "And I'll definitely be back for you. I'm not done with you yet."

With that, James stepped away from Ed and turned towards the truck to get his money bags. I crawled away from him, my shoulder burning the whole way. James smiled in a sick way at me.

Ed rolled off his back and grabbed James' ankle tripping him. Ed crawled on top of him and punched him in the face numerous times. James' face was bloody now, as was Ed's hands.

Ed seemed to have beat James into unconsciousness. Ed got off him wiping his knuckles on his sweater.

Ed then turned towards me, "Your shoulder." He said softly.

I looked down at it. I already knew it was bleeding, I didn't think this much though.

Ed turned around, pulling his mask over his face and taking his scarf off. The night cooled down considerably, so the stuffy mask wouldn't bother him too much. He knelt down beside me and pressed the scarf to my shoulder wound. The scarf was an emerald green, the same colour as his eyes.

I heard more sirens, closer this time. "You'll be alright?" Ed asked me.

I nodded my head silently. He bent his head down and kissed my forehead. He stood up and turned towards where James was; only he wasn't there any longer. I stared around nervously. We couldn't see him anywhere! "Damn. He must've gotten up when I was talking to you." He mumbled to me.

We heard more sirens, "You'll be okay here right, until the police arrive?" Ed asked.

I nodded my head silently again. I was sure that my eyes were as wide as saucers though. "Good."

Ed pulled the door of the van open and grabbed the four remaining money bags. "Don't worry, James won't get to you." And then he ran off into the darkness, much like his other two partners.

What he said about James not getting to me, when he said it, I actually believed it, and I felt safe, I honestly did. I mean, Ed has done so much already to keep me safe, why would he stop now?

I could feel my heart breaking as he disappeared into the night. I don't know why, but I grew so attached to him. My chest ached at the thought of never seeing his beautiful emerald eyes again. He really did have nice eyes. I also couldn't help myself from wondering what he looked like. What colour was his hair? Did he have dimples? I just wanted to see Ed; what he looked like.

I don't know how long I sat there crying from the pain of the bullet hitting my shoulder, but mostly from the feeling of total loss. It was completely irrational, which spurred on the crying. I didn't know why I was crying, I didn't know why I was so attached to Ed, a common criminal. I was so confused, frustrated and hurt.

I just sat, curled up in a ball, huddled against the car. I knew that there were two bodies near me and I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't look at them. It made everything all too real.

Eventually I heard sirens. They were so loud that I knew they had found me. I was so relieved. I didn't know how long I could sit there without becoming insane with grief. I needed the bodies to be taken away from me. I couldn't stand to look at more death.

"Bella!" Jacob shouted rushing to my side. He knelt down beside me, "Are you hurt? God, you're bleeding." He turned towards someone behind him and shouted, "Get an ambulance!" He turned back to me and said, "Bella, can you look at me?"

I just shook my head into my knees. I didn't dare look up though, for a chance of seeing the other two women. "Why not. Come on Bells. Look at me."

"I can't." I said.

"What's wrong?" He pleaded with me.

"I can't see the bodies. I just can't Jacob. I can't look at them!" I wailed.

Jacob put his arm around my shoulders and hugged me to him. "You don't have to. I'll carry you back to my cruiser."

I nodded weakly. I felt Jacob lift me into his arms. I still kept my eyes closed.

I just couldn't get the image of all the people that died today out of my head. I've seen people die in movies and stuff before, but nothing prepares you for seeing it in real life. There's so much blood and you can just smell the death, even when you're outside. You yourself, feel as if you were drained of life, just watching the life be sucked out of another. I don't understand how someone could kill. I really don't. My humanity just sees it as completely sick and I'm trying to push it from my mind. It isn't working.

"Jacob, my shoulder hurts." I whimpered.

"I know baby! The ambulance will be here soon. They'll take care of you. They'll make it stop." Jacob soothed me.

I could feel myself getting faint. Is this what dying feels like?

I could hear muffled voices and Jacob's body vibrate as he spoke to someone. He began handing me to someone else. I clutched at his shirt, "Don't let them take me again Jake!"

Jake pressed his lips to my temple, "Don't worry, it's just the paramedics. They're going to make your shoulder stop hurting. They're going to fix you."

I nodded and let Jacob hand me over to them. My eyes were still closed. I was too afraid of what I would see if I were to open them.

I felt myself being placed on a stretcher. The paramedics were working quickly. I lost too much blood; that much I knew from the frantic way they were working.

I was lifted into the ambulance and the sirens went on before we sped off down the road. That's my last coherent thought, before I sank into an even deeper darkness than my eyes can shield from light.

I was roused from unconsciousness by an annoying beeping sound. I wanted to open my eyes, but I was having trouble. I fought though. I needed to open my eyes. I needed to know where I was. I was getting a headache from trying to open my eyes, but it paid off. Light tore through my eye lids. Why the hell did they have the lights on so bright, and right above my head too? I never knew why the person building the hospital would put the lights right above a patients bed. Obviously it wasn't pleasant for the person that woke up to the stupid lights.

I took in my surroundings. I noticed Jacob asleep on a chair. My father and his father were beside him. My father, Charlie, had his own chair, but Billy was asleep in his wheelchair. I hadn't seen Billy in ages. Tears sprang to my eyes. "Daddy?" I croaked out. I never called him daddy.

Everyone's eyes sprang open. "Bells!" My dad shouted, leaping out of his chair and to my side. I've never seen a grown man leap before.

He grasped my hand tightly, "Daddy, what's going on?" I asked slightly confused.

Jacob coughed slightly, "Think Bella. I know you remember."

I thought for a minute, another headache coming on, but I did remember. I remembered Ed. I remembered George. I remembered the two women. I remembered their husbands. I also remember Laurent. I most definitely remembered James. Tears sprang to my eyes at the overwhelming feeling that overtook me.

"It's alright Bella. You're safe now." Dad assured me, gripping my hand in one of his.

"Did you catch them?" I asked.

Jacob shook his head, "We're working on it though. We've got a few leads."

I sat there for a minute, until I suddenly remembered my belongings. "Jacob, where is my sweater? And my picture? And my scarf?" I shrieked out that last bit. I don't know why, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing the scarf. It was the last part of Ed that I had except, of course for my memories.

"Don't worry Bella. I made sure that your belongings were taken care of. I've got them." Dad said.

I relaxed then. Everything was taken care of. Wait, no it wasn't, "How long have I been asleep for?" I asked.

Jacob answered for me, "Three days."

"Could you do something for me?" I asked.

Jacob nodded, "Anything."

"Could you find out when George's funeral is? He was the old man in the bank with me. He was the first to be killed." Tears came to my eyes at the talk of George.

"Of course Bella." Jacob said reverently, exiting the room.

A little while later, an officer came in to interview me. His name was Emmett Cullen. He asked me the basic questions. I had to recount everything that I could remember that happened in the bank. After I told the story, Emmett told me that he would have to visit me again in a few days to see if I missed or forgot anything.

Emmett seemed really angry about this whole situation. I thought he was mad at me at first so I asked, "What's wrong? Are you mad?"

"Yes I'm mad!" I shrank back away from him. His large size and booming voice were slightly scary.

"But not at you." He amended quickly, "It's just, my girlfriend, Rosie's uncle George was killed in this stupid bank robbery. She's been torn up about it. I want to find these guys and put them in jail for causing Rosie so much pain."

"You're girlfriend is George's niece?" I asked incredulously. Small world.

So after I told Emmett that George wanted me to meet his niece, Emmett told me the date and time of the funeral. It was 6 days from now. I promised I would be there. It turns out, George was the only living family that Rose had left. It was sad for her, and of course I felt loads of guilt. He died for me!

After Emmett left, my doctor, Carlisle Cullen, Emmett's father entered the room to do a routine check up on me. He said that everything was going fine with me and I would have to come back in a few weeks to get the stitches removed. I had to have a blood transfusion to replace all the lost blood. Other than that, I was completely fine.

I was told that I was allowed to leave the next day if everything went according to plan.

I was thankful to be able to go home. I always hated hospitals and I think that everyone knew that, even Carlisle, though he wasn't offended. He could understand my aversion to it. Most people disliked the hospital anyways.

I liked Carlisle a lot. He was a nice man, though he had a sadness about him.

Carlisle told me that he knew what I was going through. He didn't elaborate on that though and I didn't want to push him. Eventually I would find out what happened though.

**There it is! Weren't you so scared in the beginning because you thought Ed died! I could never kill Ed after he helped Bella. So you found out who George's niece is! Rosalie! Can anyone guess why Carlisle is so sad? Tell me what you think in your reviews. **

**So the next chapter will have George's funeral in it sadly *tear*. I really did like George. Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Twilight. **

The next day, dad came by to take me back home. My truck, unfortunately ran out of gas and was towed, but dad promised that he would get it back for me, which I was extremely grateful for, since I couldn't afford to take it out of the pound.

The police found my purse in the bank, so I got that back which made me a little bit happier. At least I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of getting new credit cards, a bank card and a new driver's license. That would've been a pain in the ass.

Dad had to wheel me out of the hospital in a wheel chair. I insisted that I didn't need it, but apparently its hospital protocol so I had to use it. I was actually a bit embarrassed but dad thought it was a great idea. He didn't want any un-needed stress on me.

So my body and everything was fine, but Carlisle was worried about how I was mentally. He said that a lot of hostage victims needed therapy. I knew that I couldn't afford it and I wasn't sure that I exactly needed it. Maybe I did though, because the thought of going to the bank again just freaked me out.

I got all my stuff back. I put George's picture in my pocket and wrapped Ed's scarf around my neck. Dad managed to get all the blood stains out. I kept George's sweater folded in my lap. Dad got the blood stain out of the shoulder, but I still needed to patch it up where the bullet went through.

It was a really great surprise to see Alice waiting outside the hospital for me with Jasper. "Oh Bella!" She screamed rushing over to give me a hug.

She leaned down and I put my good arm around her. I wasn't supposed to raise my right arm for a while.

"Are you alright Bella? I would've come to see you sooner, but nobody was allowed in the hospital room to see you, except for immediate family. I was so mad when they let Jacob in, but I guess it's different because he's a cop. Don't scare me like that ever again!" Alice was sobbing heartily into my shoulder.

I patted her back, "Don't worry Alice. I'm fine. I just got a little scratch. No permanent damage. There's nothing to worry about."

After a few more reassurances, Alice was feeling a lot better. She wanted to come home with me but dad said that I needed my rest and Alice could see me in a few days. I told her that we could get together the day after George's funeral. Alice was confused for a bit and was wondering who George was, but I promised to explain everything later.

Jasper dragged Alice away saying, "I hope you feel better Bella."

"Thanks Jasper." And they were gone. I knew that Alice was confused, but I would talk to her in a few days when I could get my bearings.

When we got to the car, I was surprised to see that Jacob was waiting in the driver's seat. I looked up at dad questioningly. "Jacob was kind enough to give us a ride. I was sure that you wouldn't want to drive around in my police cruiser."

I smiled at dad's thoughtfulness. He knew that I hated driving in his police cruiser. Then I remembered that dad drove all the way up from Forks to see me and he must be missing so much work, "Dad what about work?" I demanded.

Charlie just shook his head, "Don't worry about it kid. I haven't taken a day off work in over 15 years, I think that I can afford a few days."

My shoulders deflated with relief. I didn't want my dad to cost his job because of me.

Charlie helped me into the front seat of the car. "Hello." Jacob said pleasantly.

"Hi." I smiled back.

Dad graciously took the back seat of Jacob's car. I knew how much dad hated sitting in the back, so this was a great sacrifice for him.

We drove in silence for a little while. Apparently dad has been staying in my apartment. He then began complaining about how crappy it is and how it isn't safe at all. He wanted to give me more money so that I could get a better place, but I refused. Dad already spent all his savings so that could get a proper education. I didn't want him spending any more money on me. After a bit of arguing, Charlie finally said that he would back off. It was my life, and I could live where I wanted to live.

Jacob kept glancing at me as we drove. After maybe the sixth time he looked over I lost my patience, "What is it Jacob?" I asked.

"What's on your neck?" He asked.

I touched my hand to the left side of my neck self consciously. I pulled down the visor and looked in the mirror. Sure enough there was a faint purple mark from when James was sucking on my neck.

"Nothing." I said closing the mirror.

"It's not nothing." Jacob insisted.

Dad leaned forward in his seat to take a look, "Bells . . ." He warned. I just pulled the scarf up further to cover it. I didn't want them looking at it and assuming anything.

"What happened Bella? I heard . . . some things. Was it that Ed guy?" Jacob demanded. He seemed extremely angry.

I shook my head angrily, "He didn't do anything."

Jacob shook his head at me, disagreeing, "Look Bella, I know that he took you to the back a few times. I want to know what he did. We could get him on rape."

"He didn't rape me." I said at the same time Charlie shouted, "Rape?"

Then everything was chaos. Jacob and Charlie were shouting and making weird hand gestures and I just stared at them, slightly overwhelmed and confused at what they were getting at.

"Bella, did this Ed guy rape you?" Charlie asked me.

I shook my head, "He didn't touch me dad."

"I don't believe you. You don't have to protect this guy Bella. He won't get to you. We'll protect you." Jacob said.

"He didn't touch me. Now leave me alone." I snapped angrily.

They shut up.

I could tell that they didn't believe me though. I didn't think they would anyways. I'm just the unstable girl who went through a hostage situation.

When the car parked in front of my apartment building I got out quickly without saying a word to Jacob. I honestly had nothing to say. And to be honest, it wasn't exactly his business anyway.

I slammed the door shut behind me, clutching George's sweater. I rushed up into my apartment building.

When I got to my apartment, I left the door open, knowing that Charlie would be up soon.

I just went to my bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind me. I didn't want to speak to Charlie. He made me so mad sometimes. I can't believe that he didn't believe me. I know; ironic choice of words.

On the day of George's funeral was when Charlie left. He wanted to come with me, but I refused. I needed to do this on my own. I wasn't a little girl anymore and I didn't need a baby sitter. I told this to Charlie and he just blew up on me, "Of course you need someone to look after you! Look what happened with this stupid bank robbery! When you stop acting like a petulant child, phone me."

After Charlie stormed out I threw things around my apartment. I broke a vase and crinkled my favorite book and the phone is a little cracked too. I was actually pissed at myself that I broke that stuff, but whatever. I finally just broke into tears.

I pulled myself together, long enough to get ready for the funeral. I dressed in all black, of course. The day was rainy and cloudy, which was actually kind of fitting. It was a sad day. Today George would be buried. It hurt just to think about it.

Charlie got my truck out of the pound before he left. He filled it up with gas and everything. I hopped into the truck and drove to the church that Emmett told me to go to.

When I got there, the parking lot was packed, which wasn't much of a surprise, since George was a really nice man.

There would be a church service and people would come up to speak about him and then only the close family members would go to the cemetery to actually bury him. Emmett invited me to go with them and I agreed, only if it was okay with Rosalie. I didn't want to impose. She might actually hate me after she heard that George gave his life up for me.

So I walked shakily up to the church. When I entered, it was decorated beautifully. There were people standing in the aisles because there wasn't enough church space. I didn't know where to go. I was slightly lost. It was a good thing that I spotted Emmett and who I assumed to be Rosalie greeting people.

Rosalie was just drop dead gorgeous. She was tall and curvy and had beautiful long blond hair that looked like silk. I could even see how blue her eyes were from over here.

I walked over to them. Emmett smiled when he saw me. "Bella! I'm so glad you made it! This is Rosalie."

I held out my hand to her and we shook hands. She didn't say a word. "I'm sorry." I said sincerely. "It's all my fault."

Rosalie just smiled at me, "It wasn't your fault. Emmett told me what happened. I'm glad that uncle George tried to protect you."

We hugged each other and I was glad that Rosalie was being so nice about all this.

Turns out, Rosalie and Emmett saved me a spot right up front with them. They said that I deserved it after everything George and I went through together. I thanked them.

The ceremony was nice. A lot of people were crying, but we had a few lightened moments when people told stories about George. He was a really funny man.

Rosalie got up and spoke and everyone could just see the pain that she was in. Everyone turned solemn again.

When the ceremony was over Rosalie asked, "Would you come to the burial with us?"

I nodded my head. I wouldn't miss it for anything. Just Emmett, Rosalie and I would be going to the burial. I was actually quite surprised that she invited me of all people. I didn't think I deserved to be going, but George asked me to, so I would.

During the whole burial, Rosalie and I were crying our eyes out. Emmett got a bit teary eyed too, but I guess he felt too manly to actually let them spill over.

The priest said the last line to his prayer. We all said amen.

George was then lowered into the ground. We sat there for maybe about half an hour. Neither Rosalie or I wanted to leave. It felt wrong, just leaving him there. Emmett eventually coaxed us back to our cars.

"Thank you for inviting me to this Rosalie. It means a lot." I said.

She smiled at me tearfully, "Please, call me Rose. I know that uncle George wanted you here. You seem like a nice girl. I wanted to know if you would maybe come over for some coffee?"

I nodded my head enthusiastically, "That would be nice."

So I followed Emmett and Rose to their home in my shitty truck that was actually a nuisance right now. I was having trouble keeping up with their brand new sports car. I needed to get someone to look at the engine of this thing. It needed a few more tune ups.

We got to Rose's house where it turned out Emmett and her shared. When I got out of the car I said, "I'm sorry we had to drive so slow! My piece of junk car needs a check up."

Rose seemed to perk up a bit, "Could I look under the hood?"

I just shrugged and nodded. I popped the hood for her. She rolled up the sleeves to her black dress and stuck her hands right in there. It was actually quite shocking to see someone so put together, just digging their hands right into my greasy car.

Emmett sidles up next to me, "She likes fixing cars. Good thinking. This is a good distraction."

I smiled a bit. Props for me!

After Rose tinkered around the engine for a bit, she ordered Emmett to go get her tools. He rushed off immediately. It was actually quite funny seeing a man as big as Emmett taking orders from his girlfriend like that. They really were the perfect match. And I had to give it to Rose, she really knew how to get what she wanted from a guy, which was quite admirable. It was nice to see a woman in charge of a relationship.

After Emmett brought out the tools, Rosalie worked for a few more minutes before she said, "Turn the car on!"

I did as she asked and to my utter surprise, when the car turned on there was a thunderous roar. It actually sounded like a normal car. "No way!" I shouted out towards Rose, "You don't know how many garages I took this thing to and no one and I mean no one could get rid of that terrible noise this car used to make!" I was seriously shocked.

Rose just laughed, "Because you kept taking it to men!"

I laughed at that. Emmett just sulked, but he had a twinkle to his eye, so I knew that he was just playing around.

We went into the house and Rose put the kettle on the stove.

Rose and I got talking. Emmett apparently didn't want to get in the way of our girl bonding time.

I told Rose all about me, where I grew up and everything. I even told her what happened in the bank. We got solemn about that. We cried a bit, but the screaming of the kettle interrupted us. Rose got up and poured us both a steaming cup of coffee. I sipped it greedily. I haven't had coffee in too long!

Rose then told me about herself. She said that she used to live in LA, but then she met Emmett and she fell in love, so she moved back up to Seattle with Emmett. I asked her why she moved away from home. She didn't seem like the type of woman to just drop her whole life to follow a guy. "I really didn't have anything to lose. I was pretty much homeless."

Rosalie met Emmett at the beach one day. She was in a relationship with a guy named Royce King at the time. He was abusive and Rosalie wanted out. She couldn't stand living with him anymore.

Emmett and Rosalie were secretly meeting up over the summer and Rose knew that she loved Emmett and Emmett knew that he loved Rosalie. Emmett said that he wanted Rose to come home with him. Rose agreed. They left that same day. Rose smiled as she told me that she even left all of her belongings behind to follow Emmett back home to Seattle, "Its funny, the reason that I was with Royce was mainly because of the money. He bought me off and I fell for it. But with Emmett, all he had to offer me was himself, as corny as that sounds. My life has been a whole lot better now that I'm not as concerned with how much I've got."

"But wasn't George upset with Royce?" I asked.

Rose nodded, eyes wide, "He certainly was. Royce didn't allow me to see uncle George because he knew that he didn't like him. Uncle George lived up here in Seattle, so I happily followed Emmett here. If things didn't work out with Emmett then I could always go back to George."

"Why didn't you just go to your uncle right away?" I asked.

Rose smiled sadly, "I didn't have the money, and George is – was an old man. If Royce decided to come after me, my best bet would be to have Emmett around. I mean have you seen him?" She laughed, "And to make everything better, he's a cop too!"

Rose and I shared a smile. We talked for a few more hours and I think that we actually became great friends.

**So there is chapter 7 and you found out Rose's story. I'm not going to make her mean because mean Rosalie is just annoying. So Bella will meet Edward in the next chapter or two, so keep reading! **

**Isn't Charlie just terrible? I made him act like that towards Bella, because you have to understand all the stress that he's been going through the past couple of days. And it just fits the story so much better if Charlie's out of it for a little while. **

**So thanks for reading!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Twilight. **

I stayed in bed for exactly one week. I cooked until I ran out of food, and then I ordered in. Mostly Chinese food and pizza. I couldn't face getting up each day. I just had this overwhelming feeling of fear and I ended up just getting back into bed and hiding from the world.

I ended up ignoring all my phone calls. I couldn't talk to anyone about how I was feeling. Alice stopped by a couple of times, but I didn't let her in. I felt horrible about it, but I just couldn't open the door. I needed to get over this by myself. I didn't even know what I was feeling!

Mike ended up giving me a week off, so I didn't have to worry about getting up for that either. I mean, why bother getting up then? Rose phoned me a few times. I answered her calls once and told her that I'll phone her when I get the chance. I haven't called yet. I think she understood though, my need to be alone. I think she was going through the same thing. She's a stronger woman though for getting over it long enough to give me a call.

I suppose that you could call what I have a depression, but I know that it runs much deeper than that. I was traumatized. I was petrified of leaving my safe apartment. I didn't know what to do with myself. Seeing all those people killed in front of me was just horrible. I think that I had some sort of mental snap or something.

Jacob keeps coming by randomly. I don't let him in either. Especially since that whole thing with Charlie and the car. I told them that nothing happened between Ed and I, but they keep insisting.

To be honest, I was actually quite scared of leaving my apartment because I worried about James finding me. If he found me, I would have no one to protect me from him. Ed wasn't around, obviously, so who would do it?

I certainly didn't trust Jacob to get the job done. I actually didn't trust Jacob all that much. I know that his heart is in the right place, but he just doesn't know James. I observed James for hours on end, I think that I pretty much know all that he is thinking, and what is going on in his head. I also know that he isn't the losing type. He's going to come after me. I've become a game to him. He's also going to go after Ed. I mean, Ed did beat the crap out of him and stole all of his money.

So, finally, after a week, I dragged myself out of bed. I needed to go to work. I knew that Mr. Newton wouldn't be so lax with me for any longer. I had work to do and I intended to get it done. I refused to be scared all of my life. I needed to trust that the police would find James and everything would be done. I actually quite worried about Ed and them finding him. He was so kind to me. Maybe I had Stockholm syndrome.

I put little effort into what I would wear today. I picked a simple black pencil skirt and just put my hair up into a bun. I also just grabbed a dark blue blouse. I wasn't dressing to impress anybody today.

On my way out the door, I looked at my pair of heels resting by the door, but I opted for wearing black flats instead. I didn't have the energy to concentrate on walking today. I just wanted to get work done as quickly as possible. Before I left though, I put my bottle of pepper spray in my purse. I would be prepared if James decided to attack. I highly doubted that he would though.

I crept nervously out of my apartment door, locking it quietly behind me. I peered around the dimly lit hallway, before proceeding towards the elevator. I behaved like this the whole way to work. I guess I was just paranoid now. I even jumped at loud noises. Like the beeping of a car horn or construction work that was going on, on the side of the road.

By the time I reached the small office, I was extremely rattled.

I parked my car and headed into the elevator to the fifth floor. When I got there, I was met by silence. I peered around nervously. No one was in the office and half the lights were off. What was going on?

I walked over to my little cubicle. I was exactly how I left it. I sat down timidly on the chair, booting up my computer as I went.

After a few minutes, I just couldn't take it any longer. I stood up and headed over to Mike's office, which was in the back of the room. His light was on, so I expected him to be there.

I knocked on his door and Mike Newton opened it with a big smile, "Hi Ms. Swan. How are you feeling?"

I smiled back, only half assed though, "Fine. Umm, I was just wondering where everyone is."

Mike's smile broadened, "I've given everyone the day off, so that you're not overwhelmed by everyone on your first day back."

I was actually flattered that he cared, "Thank you Mr. Newton. I appreciate your concern."

He waved away my concerns, "Please, call me Mike."

"O-okay." I said nervously. I was starting to feel a little awkward. I knew this feeling. It always came to me when I knew something bad was going to happen. Well, maybe not bad exactly, but extremely unpleasant.

"Come in Bella. I've got a story that I would like you to work on for me." Mike said practically pushing me into his office and shutting the door softly behind me.

I sat down on a chair in front of his desk. He took the other chair opposite me instead of sitting behind his desk.

We sat there for a few moments before Mr. Newton started, "So, I'm aware of what you went through at the bank about a week ago and I understand that you refused to do any interviews."

I nodded shakily, not understanding where this was going. "I want you to write an article about your experience in the bank. It can be however long you want and it will be front cover news."

I just stared at Mr. Newton, shocked, before I spoke again, "Mr. Newton, there's a reason that I don't wish to share what happened to me and I ask you to respect my privacy." I said quickly. I just couldn't write about what happened. It was too personal.

Mr. Newton's face frowned, "I told you to call me Mike, and you do like having a job, don't you?"

I frowned this time; I wasn't going to fall for that one again. I was Mr. Newton's best writer, and he knew it! I just shook my head again. Mr. Newton began talking again, "I even gave you a week off for you to recover so that you could write this story! And now you won't do it?"

"I never agreed to write it!" I contorted.

"You don't get a choice as to what you're writing! It's always been like that!" Mr. Newton roared, rising from his seat a little bit. I shrank back. Memories from the bank came flooding back. Maybe I did need that therapy Carlisle was talking about.

Mr. Newton, seeing my fearful expression sat down a little bit, wiping the anger from his face. I knew that he was going to try a new angle to get me to write for him.

Mr. Newton's hand met my thigh. My knee jerked. "Mr. Newton!" I complained, grabbing his wrist, trying to push it away from me. He wouldn't budge.

"Please Bella. I could give you something in return." Mr. Newton said, hand going higher.

"Stop!" I said horrified. I didn't know that Mike was like this. I always thought that he was a good man, if not a dick at times.

Mr. Newton got out of his chair and latched his lips onto my neck this time . . . in the exact spot where James had his lips. I freaked out, needless to say. I clawed at his face and hit him anywhere I could. I grasped a hand around for my purse, but I couldn't find it. I must've left it at my cubicle. So much for the pepper spray.

Mr. Newton jerked back in surprise and I took this opportunity to push him off me and run for the office door. I'm glad that I wore flats today. I couldn't imagine running around in heels.

I pulled the door open and slammed it in his face. Mr. Newton was after me, I think with a worried expression on his face, but it was partly contorted by anger. I rushed off to my cubicle and grabbed my stuff quickly. I ended up leaving a lot of my personal belongings behind, like photos and note books. They weren't worth that much, but they held a lot of sentimental value. I couldn't stop though, Mr. Newton was barreling down the hallway. I ran towards the stairs, too scared to wait for the elevator. I knew he would catch me if I did wait.

I raced down the stairs, clutching my things to my chest. I made a mad dash for my truck dropping all of my things in order to unlock it. I could see Mike running out of the building now. I quickly threw all my belongings into the car and slammed the door behind me, locking it, just as Mr. Newton began pounding on it. I just stared at him wide eyed. I couldn't hear what he was saying. I didn't want to hear what he was saying. I put my car into first and drove off back to my apartment building, which I refused to leave, under any circumstances.

_One month later . . ._

And I didn't leave the house. I stayed in my apartment, ordering food in. I did get up though, I cleaned often and I even had Alice and Rose over. I had them over once before they started asking questions that I just couldn't answer. Mostly about my job though. Mr. Newton phoned a few times, but I ignored him. I couldn't talk to him now.

I think that Alice and Rosalie knew that something was up, but I wouldn't dare tell them. I didn't want any more police digging through my life. I was living quite comfortably in my little apartment. I didn't have any job deadlines and I certainly didn't have to worry about running into James somewhere since I didn't have anywhere to go.

By the time the owner came to collect my rent, I didn't have anything to give him. I was spending all of my money on take out food. I think that the land lord pitied me a bit. He said that he will give me one extra month, then I will need to pay next months rent and half of the rent that I couldn't pay. I thanked him heartily.

So here I sit, at my kitchen table, looking through the newspaper that I think Sam, the land lord delivered to my door. I think that he noticed that I haven't been leaving the apartment. I think that he also noticed the state at which I came home last month, after the whole Mike situation.

I was flipping through the newspaper, looking for jobs that I could apply to. I needed a fresh start. I needed to do something new. After flipping through the ad section a few times I saw that there were quite a few secretary jobs that were needed. I knew that it wasn't the best job, but I figured that if I went with a big company that I could get paid a pretty penny. Anything is better than what I was getting paid before.

I quickly made up my resume. I've made a few before so I knew exactly what I should write down. Unfortunately, I couldn't put any references down. I was pretty sure that Mr. Newton wouldn't be a good reference to me and I wanted nothing to do with him and his shitty newspaper.

I wrote down a few addresses and company names and I dressed in my best business attire. When I came towards the front door, I paused. I could feel the nerves coming on. I could feel the shakes coming on. I hitched my purse higher on my shoulder and took a deep breath. I could do this. I needed to do this, and I will. With that, I pushed all doubt from my mind and opened the door, taking a step out. Everything was fine. See, I was making progress. I walked confidently to the elevators.

Once the rusty elevators shut I closed my eyes to the fluorescent lights that were flickering. I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down.

I suppose that I could've called Charlie. I was in financial trouble and he once told me to phone him if I was ever in trouble. I just couldn't do it now. I needed to show him that I could get through this on my own. He obviously thought that I was a child and was too incompetent to do anything on my own. I would prove to him that I could do it. I would do it and nothing would stop me.

Another option would be to call Alice or Rosalie and tell them what's going on and maybe ask them for help, but I couldn't do that either. I couldn't ask them for something like that.

After the fourth interview, I was seriously deflated. I was asked every single time if I had a reference, and I said no. I put down on my resume though that I had a previous job at a newspaper and since I didn't have a reference from that, they assumed that I got fired and that I was a crappy worker.

My spirits were low and I was seriously starting to doubt that I would ever find a job.

I made my way to Mason enterprise. They were in need of a secretary, and I wasn't sure that they would hire me either. I mean, I have no references, I was pretty young and I had no experience as a secretary before. I know that it involves lots of work. I needed this job though. This was the last place on the list and if I didn't get this job, I was screwed.

I parked my car and rushed into the office. It was actually quite big. I went up to the receptionist and asked, "I'm here for an interview for Mason enterprise.

The girl looked up and nodded her head in a bored manner, "26th floor. Knock before you go into Mr. Mason's office." She ordered.

I nodded nervously, clutching my purse in one hand and my resume in the other. I seriously felt small compared to all of this.

I pressed the right floor in the elevator and stood awkwardly with the other people that were going up. I was the only one getting off on floor 26 though, which heightened my nerves. I was just running purely on adrenaline now.

After the elevator shut behind me, I looked around. People were bustling around everywhere and there was a lot of chatter. I looked around, but I wasn't sure where to go. One man was running by and I said, "Excuse me!"

He turned quickly to me and he got some weird smile on his face, "Why hello there. And who might you be?" He asked.

"Bella," I responded quickly, then regretted it.

He smiled wider, "I'm Felix."

I nodded, "Um, I was wondering where Mr. Mason's office was?"

Felix's smile dropped a little bit, "Are you a lady friend of his?" He questioned.

I frowned a bit not knowing what he meant, "I'm here for the secretary job, if that's what you meant." I responded.

"Ohhh! Yes, right this way." He said leading me through all the cubicles to the back.

We stopped in front of a huge mahogany door. Felix opened it for me and said, "Have fun."

I gave him a weak smile before stepping further into the room. "Sit." The man at the desk said.

I sat down quietly on the huge chairs that made me feel like a midget. I couldn't see Mr. Mason very well since he was looking down and he was obscured by shadows. "Name."

"Um, Isabella Swan. But I go by Bella." Mr. Mason's head snapped up, startled.

"Bella?" He asked.

I nodded, a faint blush working its way up my cheeks. This guy was gorgeous! He had copper hair and perfect features that were sharp and very masculine. He had stubble growing across his cheeks. The thing that really stood out to me though was his green eyes. I recognized this guy from somewhere.

The next thing he did, really confused me. Mr. Mason lunged across the table, grabbing one of those name plate things, like the one I hit Ed with and he threw it under his desk. He also, put his hand on his nose and mouth.

"Is something wrong?" I asked panicked.

Mr. Mason paused for a minute, before lowering his hand, coughing awkwardly, "Everything's alright."

"Good." I said.

We sat there just looking at each other. Before I cleared my throat, "Um, so about that job?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." He mumbled, "Do you have a resume?"

I nodded, handing it over to him. He skimmed through it and asked, "No references?"

I sighed, knowing that this was coming, "None sir."

"But you worked at a newspaper?" He asked, to which I nodded.

"May I ask what the cause of your resignation was?" Mr. Mason asked.

I shook my head this time, "I'm sorry, but you may not ask."

A frown graced Mr. Mason's lips, "Were you fired?" He asked.

"No."

"Did you quit?" He asked.

"More or less."

"I can't hire you unless you have any references. Do you have anyone that I could call as a reference?" He asked, desperate now.

I shook my head.

"What if I phoned the newspaper that you worked at?" Mr. Mason asked picking up the phone.

Panic gripped me and I shouted, "NO!"

Mr. Mason dropped the phone like it was on fire. "I'm sorry." I mumbled, "It's just that I quit a month ago. My boss was acting . . . unprofessionally and I didn't appreciate it. Now, I really need this job, and I highly doubt that he would be a good reference for me."

Mr. Mason looked furious and he clasped his hands together staring intently at me, "What do you mean by unprofessional?" He demanded.

"He was umm . . . making advances. I told him to stop, but he wouldn't, so I got out of there." I said vaguely explaining.

Mr. Mason looked concerned, "Didn't you contact the police?" He asked.

I shook my head, "It's fine. It's over."

Mr. Mason shook his head, "The police should be contacted."

I refused again, "Don't worry about it. It's over and done with. It was nothing. Please let it go." I didn't even know why he was so concerned. I was a completely stranger.

Mr. Mason sat there for a little bit, thinking maybe, then said, "You're hired. I like you. You're honest. I need someone like you around."

I stared at him in disbelief, "You're hiring me?" I squeaked out.

"Yes." He said slowly.

Tears sprang to my eyes. I couldn't believe this was happening! Finally I was getting a break! Mr. Mason, seeing my tears, seemed to get the wrong idea, "Is everything alright? Are you alright? Should I call a doctor? I'm sorry. What did I do wrong?"

I shook my head at his worried pleas, "I'm just so . . . happy! I'm sorry I'm over reacting, but I've just had a hard couple of months and I've been to so many interviews and . . . I'm just so glad that someone's giving me a chance!"

Mr. Mason smiled guiltily at me, though I don't know why, "I'm glad to have you with me."

I took a deep breath and decided to act professional for once, "I don't have much experience in this area, though I think that I could figure it all out pretty quickly. I'm a fast learner. And I was wondering which cubicle I would be working in, they all seem to be taken."

Mr. Mason stared blankly at me. Confusion swept over me once again, "Um, Ms. Swan, what do you think your job here will be exactly?"

"Erm, aren't I a secretary?" I asked.

Mr. Mason slammed his hand down on his desk, "Those fucks! I told them that I needed a personal assistant, not a secretary!"

I jumped in surprise of his loud noise. Tears sprang to my eyes once again. Great! Just when I thought that I was getting a break something like this has to happen. I'm probably not even qualified to be a personal assistant. He'll probably get somebody else now.

I jumped up, partly from fear of the noise and embarrassment. I rushed from the room and headed towards the elevators. Once again, I was running. I never should've left the apartment!

I hopped back into my truck and made my way back home, tears running down my face the entire time. I wish this whole bank thing hadn't of happened. I get frightened at the stupidest little things. Mr. Mason's hand slamming on the desk was nothing! I bet that I totally lost the job now! He would never want to hire a crying unstable girl!

I was now just going to wait until Sam kicked me out. I was done. I couldn't do this anymore. I just wanted to curl up in bed and block the whole world out. Maybe I would do just that.

**So there's chapter 8! Sorry it took a while to update. I was away for some second or third cousins wedding. It was fun. It was like a whole family reunion, but I'm glad to be back. I missed writing on fanfiction. **

**So in this chapter Bella meets . . . (drum roll please) . . . Edward! I was so happy to have him in the story! Don't worry though, Edward and Bella will be reunited soon again. **

**So please REVIEW! It only takes 15 seconds. Not even. So please do it! Thanks! **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Twilight . . . obviously. **

The next day I woke up with a splitting headache. I think I was under too much stress as of late. I ended up getting out of bed. I didn't want to wallow in self pity for hours on end. I didn't think that it was very healthy. So I got up, showered and put on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. I began cleaning up my apartment a bit. My garbage can was overflowing, but I was too afraid of leaving the apartment to empty it in the trash cans behind the apartment building. There were too many shadows there and it was too deserted for it to possibly be safe for me to go there.

Sam, bless his heart, came by with two other garbage bags and asked, "Can I take your garbage out back? I don't think it's very safe and I'll be putting up surveillance cameras soon, so until then, I'll be taking out everyone's garbage."

I know that he probably only made that excuse up for my sake, but I appreciated it none the less. Same was a great help to me and I didn't know what I would do without him.

So now that my garbage was gone, I had nothing to really worry about, except getting evicted at the end of the month. Oh well, there's nothing I could do. Maybe Alice will take me in, or maybe Rose. I just didn't want to think about it now though.

I sat down on the couch, after ordering myself some sushi (I felt like mixing it up today) and put a movie in. I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

I picked Pride and Prejudice, the one with Keira Knightly. I just loved that movie and it always seemed to calm me down. I looked out the window, and yet again, it was raining, so I figured that I wasn't missing out on much by being inside all day.

My popcorn was done so I sat down on the couch to relax a bit until my sushi came.

After only a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. That was fast. I should order sushi more often. They're much faster than the pizza people.

When I opened the door though, it wasn't the sushi delivery guy. It was Mr. Mason. I immediately became self conscious, yet nervous. I didn't know what he was doing here. And how did he find out where I lived?

"Hi." He said.

"Hi."

We stood there for a few minutes. I know that I probably should've let him in, but I didn't want a stranger in my house. I really didn't know much about this guy, except that he was a business owning hottie who was over six feet tall and had gorgeous green eyes. I met his eyes again, eager to see the beautiful emerald colour. What I saw just confused me though. Instead of him having green eyes, his eyes were a warm golden butterscotch colour. I frowned in confusion, "Your eyes . . ." I trailed off, "Weren't they green before."

He put his hands up to his cheeks, almost self consciously, "No. They were always this colour."

Great, now I was going crazy. What was wrong with me?

We stood there for a few more moments. I saw Sam walking down the hall slowly. I guess he was checking up on me. He gave Mr. Mason a glare before asking me, "Everything alright Bella?"

I nodded again and said, "Everything's fine. Thanks Sam."

Mr. Mason turned and glared at Sam, which I thought incredibly rude. But it seemed like they were having some weird male dominance mental fight thing going on. It was strange.

After Sam disappeared around the corner, Mr. Mason's face relaxed and he turned back to me, "So, I was wondering if maybe I could come in?" He asked.

I stared hard at him for a second. I was going to say no, but I figured that Sam knew he was here, so if anything happened to me, I had Sam on my side. And I'm pretty sure that he's eavesdropping around the corner right now. I think I see his shadow moving around. He wasn't very stealthy.

I opened the door wider and said, "Make yourself comfortable."

Mr. Mason entered my house, taking off his jacket as he went. He hung it up on the coat pegs that were beside my door and he took off his shoes, seeing as how my feet were bare. I led him into the living room and said, "Have a seat. Is there anything I could get you?"

He shook his head and said, "You should sit down too. I would like to talk to you." He motioned towards the space beside him on the loveseat. Instead I took a seat on the recliner. I wasn't comfortable around Mr. Mason yet. I why was he here anyways? It was pretty weird.

"Not to be rude, Mr. Mason, but what are you doing here?" I asked.

Mr. Mason had a faint smile, "You rushed off, and I wanted to say that you still had a job. Besides, being my personal assistant won't be much different than being a secretary, therefore you are still qualified, and I want to hire you."

I frowned, "How do you know where I live?"

Mr. Mason's cheeks tainted pink, "I uh, had someone look you up. I hope you don't mind. But, you just left so suddenly."

I gave him a faint smile. I guess I couldn't really blame him, though I didn't know why he would even want to hire me after all of this. "It's fine. So, you actually want to give me the job?" I asked.

He nodded, grinning widely, "You're the first person that I actually had a good feeling about. I think you'll be great for the job!"

"Great! So when do I start?" I asked grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Whenever you want!" Mr. Mason said enthusiastically.

"How about we get started today, so that I can get used to all of this and find out what you expect of me." I said.

"Certainly. How about we head over to my office?" He asked.

I nodded then looked down at myself, "Should I get changed?" I asked.

Mr. Mason shook his head smiling, "That's unnecessary. You're perfect as you are."

I looked down at my jeans and t-shirt dubiously. But whatever. I mean, he was the boss. If he said that I looked fine, I guess I could go as is.

I nodded and stood up, "Just let me get my purse."

"Sure."

I headed towards my bedroom and grabbed my purse that was hanging over the corner of the bed frame and quickly went back out to the closet to grab my jacket and shoes. I picked my pea coat so that I looked a bit professional and my black flats.

"Ready?" Mr. Mason asked.

I nodded and I locked the door behind us. Mr. mason motioned to my purse, "You got that back?"

I looked up at him startled, "What?"

He glanced at me nervously, "Oh nothing. I thought that you might've left it in my office yesterday."

I blushed guiltily, "Look, about yesterday. I'm sorry about rushing off like that. I thought that you weren't going to hire me and I just needed to get home."

Mr. Mason just grinned at me, making my heart stop, "Don't worry about it. I understand completely. My un-gentlemanly behavior was part of the reason. I'm at fault also."

"How about we call a truce then?" I asked.

Mr. Mason laughed but nodded, "Would you mind if I drove you?"

I hesitated. I didn't really know Mr. Mason and nobody knows that I'm leaving with him. I blew out a sigh of relief though as I saw Sam walk by. He always seemed to be popping up, "Hi Sam!" I said.

"Hey Bella." He replied.

"I'm just leaving with Mr. Mason. He's my new boss." I said.

Sam smiled, but it didn't seem sincere, "That's great Bella. I'll watch for you when you come back."

"Thanks." I said, leading Mr. Mason outside.

I guess Sam knew what I was getting at. At least Sam knows where I'm going now.

When we got to Mr. Mason Vanquish (an extremely expensive car, it could pay my rent for 6 years) Mr. Mason opened the door for me. I smiled at him as I slipped in. So chivalry wasn't dead.

Mr. Mason drove extremely fast. So fast that I was actually a bit scared. Mr. Mason looked over at me, to make sure I was okay or something and he saw my expression, "Is something wrong Ms. Swan?" He asked.

I just shrugged, "Well . . . your driving is a bit . . ."

Mr. Mason slowed down immediately, "Sorry. I drive like this all the time. It's just habit I guess."

"Well, my father is a police officer. I expect you to follow the rules." I joked.

Mr. Mason chuckled and continued on driving, much slower this time.

When we made it to his office I asked, "What are we doing here?"

"This is my normal schedule. You'll be coming to work with me everyday, so this is where we will be at this time each day."

"Okay." I replied.

Mr. Mason led me up the elevator and back to his office. We saw Felix on the way up. He gave me a weird stare and shrank back towards Mr. Mason reflexively. I didn't like this Felix guy. He gave me a weird feeling. "Bella." He smiled at me. His smile reminded me of James', though I knew that it wasn't James, Felix's colouring was all wrong.

"Hi." I said in a small voice.

"You two have already met?" Mr. Mason asked. He looked kind of agitated.

Felix gave Mr. Mason a big grin, "I met her yesterday as a matter of fact. She's a sweet little thing isn't she?" He asked looking me up and down. I stepped further behind Mr. Mason, "I take it you hired her?" He asked.

"Yes." Mr. Mason replied stiffly.

"Great! That means I'll be seeing her all the time! I can see why you hired her Mr. Mason. Great pick. I wonder what you two will be doing in your office everyday?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I didn't like the evil gleam in his eyes. He looked like he was up to something.

With that last comment, Mr. Mason stood up to his full height and said in a dominating voice, "I am your boss and you will treat me with such respect. You will also treat Ms. Swan with equal amounts of respect. Fail to do so and you will be out of a job. Do I make myself clear?" Mr. Mason asked.

Felix nodded silently. "Now go make yourself useful. Remind me why I actually bothered to hire a useless piece of crap like you."

Felix's cheeks darkened with anger and he hurried off leaving Mr. Mason and I alone. Mr. Mason looked over to me and noticed that I was mostly behind him. He put a hand on my back and gently guided me forward. Surprisingly, I didn't cringe and his touch. It actually felt calming, soothing even. It was a nice change from my reaction to everybody else's touch.

We made it to Mr. Mason's office without further delay or interferences. He gently shut the door behind him and told me gently to take a seat. I took the same seat that I did yesterday. I noticed that the name plate was still missing from Mr. Mason's desk.

Mr. Mason took a seat behind his desk and dug around in his drawer for something. He handed me what looked to be a PDA. I've never used one before. "This is yours, to organize my personal meetings and business dinners and such. I'm trusting you to keep track of everything that needs to be done. I won't remember to make it to business dinners and such if you don't write it down and you don't tell me. So that will be your first job, to organize the PDA. Don't hesitate to also write down your personal appointments also. It's your PDA."

I looked down at the device in my hand, "Thank you Mr. Mason."

He smiled that heartbreaking smile at me, "Don't thank me Ms. Swan. I know that you'll be perfect for the job."

**There is chapter 9! Sorry it's taken me longer to update than usual. School has been keeping me busy and all. Geez, the school year just started and I already am ready for another summer vacation. I must've forgotten how tiresome and time consuming school really is. I've got a busy year ahead of me now. *Sigh* **

**Anyways . . .**

**Bella is finally working with Mr. Mason (or Edward). I'm excited to write about them getting closer. Keep reading! I promise that I'll try and update more often. But you know how it is with school, all the homework and tests and stuff. But I'll try my best! **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own Twilight.**

It took me about an hour to figure out how to work the PDA properly. Mr. Mason ended up helping me figure it out a bit, then I was fine from there. Mr. Mason was working on his computer as I checked between his little black book and the PDA. I finished putting all his contacts in the PDA and put his first week's schedule in it. I could feel Mr. Mason's eyes examining me every once in a while. About the sixth time of him looking at me, I met his gaze. He dropped his gaze immediately as if he were embarrassed that he were caught.

We were in companionable silence for about an hour more before my stomach growled. Mr. Mason looked up, amusement forming on his lips. His perfect lips. "Is somebody hungry?" He asked.

I blushed crimson as Mr. Mason continued to chuckle. He stood up, "Come on. I'll buy you dinner."

I shook my head quickly, "Don't worry. It's not necessary. I think I've got some food at home." I was actually just afraid to go anywhere except at Mr. Mason's office and home. I think I had a drawback from what happened yesterday.

Mr. Mason met my fearful gaze evenly. "How about I cook for you?"

I looked at Mr. Mason confused. He wanted to cook for me? But I didn't want to go to his house. "How about we go back to my house then?"

Mr. Mason smiled at me encouragingly. "Sure."

I blushed, "We might have to stop by the grocery store before we go to my apartment though."

Mr. Mason gave me a meaningful look, "I thought you had something at home to eat?"

I blushed again, "I may have . . . exaggerated a little bit."

Mr. Mason let out a laugh. He then began shutting his computer down and gathering his things. I quickly put everything back in my bag and put my jacket on. Mr. Mason was already at the door to his office waiting for me. He was so fast! I scrambled after him, tripping on my own foot as I neared him. I expected to face plant into the door, but Mr. Mason reached his arm out at the last moment, catching me by my waist and pulling me safely to his chest. I rested my hand on his chest and let out a little gasp of surprise. We stood there for a moment before I slowly backed out of his arms, cheeks pink. Mr. Mason's cheeks were also pink, "You alright?" He asked. I nodded and said, "Are we going to get going?"

Mr. Mason nodded and led me to the elevators. Most of the lights were off, considering that everybody has already left for dinner. I stepped nervously farther away from Mr. Mason. I knew that he wouldn't hurt me, but it was just a natural instinct. Mr. Mason looked over at me, "Everything okay?" I nodded my head and smiled at him.

The elevator came and Mr. Mason and I stepped in. I stood a little closer to him now, getting over my stupid irrational feelings.

We made it to Mr. Mason's car, and like before, he opened the door for me. I smiled graciously at him and stepped inside.

Mr. Mason drove quickly again to the nearest store. We got out, got a cart and then headed inside. "So what are we cooking tonight?" I asked.

"I was thinking some pasta?" He asked. I nodded and smiled.

As we weaved through the isles, I kept noticing the longing looks Mr. Mason was getting from women that we walked by and the envious looks they were giving me. I let myself think, for just a moment, that he and I were just a couple getting ready for dinner. That we were together even. I pushed that ridiculous notion from my mind. Mr. Mason was my boss! It was highly inappropriate of me!

We finished grocery shopping and got all of our things stowed away in the trunk. Mr. Mason sped quickly down the street back to my apartment. We got our groceries up stairs and stowed away in the fridge. Mr. Mason then began asking me where pots were and dishes. I got everything out. He then began cooking. "Do you need any help?" I asked. Mr. Mason. He just ended up shooing me out of the kitchen. "Out! I'm cooking dinner!"

I protested, "Can't I do something?" I asked.

Mr. Mason sighed and said, "I guess you could set the table."

I jumped, up eager to help do something. I felt bad just letting him do all the work.

I got out the place mats, cutlery and some wine glasses to put either water in or wine. I thought that I should actually make it nice, since it was my boss after all, though everything else was unorthodox. I mean, who has their boss over to their apartment to cook for them? I was definitely feeling a bit awkward.

After I finished with my "job" I headed back into the kitchen. "Hey! I thought you were supposed to be setting the table. This is supposed to be a surprise!"

I laughed, "But I'm so bored!" I was shocked. I laughed?

Mr. Mason shook his head and said, "Well . . . alright. I guess you can stay inside your kitchen. I won't run you out of your own home."

I laughed and hoisted myself onto the counter top beside Mr. Mason. He was expertly chopping up a tomato for the sauce while checking the noodles. The sauce was also going on the stove. It smelled divine!

I dipped my finger into the sauce and licked it. Mr. Mason gave me a look. I just giggled again, "What? I couldn't help myself! It looked so good!"

Mr. Mason just kept staring at me. "It really is good! Here try some!" I dipped my finger into the sauce again and shoved it into his face. He moved at the last minute though, trying to get away, and I smudged it all over his nose. I just stared at me incredulously looking like a clown with a red nose. I laughed, "You look like a clown!"

He blushed crimson. Ha! I made Mr. Mason blush! Then there was a knock on the door. I hopped off the counter. "Hey! Come back here!" Mr. Mason shouted after me.

I just laughed again and skipped off towards the front door. I was seriously feeling elated. I yanked the front door open, but my smile stopped as I saw who it was. It was Jacob Black.

I scratched the back of my leg with my foot nervously, "What are you doing here?" I asked. It's been a while.

He was holding a bouquet of white daisies. I didn't like daisies that much. He offered them to me. I didn't take them.

"I just came to apologize." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I shouldn't have pushed you. I know that you're not ready to tell me what he did to you, but I just wanted you to . . ."

"Wait what?" I demanded, "I thought we went over this! He didn't do anything to me!"

"I know it was traumatic – " I cut him off again.

"Traumatic? What is wrong with you? It was the worst experience of my life! Why don't you believe me?"

"Just let me in and then we can talk some more." Jacob said trying to push his way past me into my home.

I tried to shove him out, "Get out! I don't want to talk to you! This is a bad time!"

Jacob shoved me aside and strode into the entryway. I scrambled and ran in front of him, "Jacob! Get out. I said this isn't a good time."

Jacob seemed to notice the nicely set table and wine glasses out. He turned and frowned at me, "Bella, what the hell is this?"

"You're not my boyfriend Jacob. I can have dinner with whoever I want. I want you to leave." I emphasized this by pushing him towards the open door. Jacob grabbed my wrists and yanked me close to him, "Bella, tell me what's going on."

I tried to pull away from him, but he held on tight. I could feel frustrated tears bubbling up, "Just let go and get out!" God. Mr. Mason is going to think I'm a mental case.

I heard sound from behind me. Oh god, it was him. "Bella? Is everything alright?"

I turned my head and met eyes with him. Shit, he probably saw that I was close to tears. I turned his glare at Jacob, "What the hell is going on?" He demanded. Great, Jacob just had to pick this night to come and harass me. I bet my dad sent him over here. They're so annoying.

Jacob released my wrists and took a step back, "None of your business. Who are you?"

Mr. Mason glared at Jacob, "That doesn't concern you. I think Bella wants you to leave."

I took a step away from Jacob. Jacob turned away from Mr. Mason and continued to speak to me, "I just wanted to talk to you about how the case is going." He said in a hushed tone.

"You're off the case." I said flatly, "You got reassigned after you messed up. You don't need to be talking to me about anything. Get out. I'm still mad at you."

"That's why I brought flowers." Jacob said shoving them in my face. Ugh. I took them and then threw them back in his face. "Bella!" he roared.

Mr. Mason then stepped between us, "You need to leave." He said.

"I'm really trying here Bella! You're not making it easy."

"I don't want you to do anything." I informed him.

"Who is this guy anyways? If you don't tell me, I'm going to have to phone your dad." Jacob said.

"I don't want to speak to him either. Both of you can leave me alone. But if you must know, this is my new boss . . ."

"Henry Mason." Mr. Mason finished for me.

Jacob seemed to glare at us both for a few more minutes, "I'll be seeing you around Bella. You'll be hearing from your father." Then he stepped out of my home and made his way down the hall. Mr. Mason slammed the door behind him, locking it.

"That guy is a prick." He eyed the trampled flowers that were still on the floor, "A boyfriend?" He asked.

I shook my head, "Hardly. I can't stand him. Thank you for helping me. I could've handled it."

Mr. Mason snorted, "I beg to disagree. He was getting out of line. Why does he seem to be under the impression that he's your caretaker?"

I sighed, "He's a cop and so is my dad so I think that Jacob's under the impression that we're destined or something. I think my dad also pressured him into checking up on me."

"Checking up on you?" Mr. Mason wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"I'm not really on speaking terms with my father as of yet. I'm still pretty angry with him." I sighed.

"May I ask why?" Mr. Mason asked, leading me towards the dinner table, where all the food was placed on two plates. We took our seats.

I explained what happened to me, how I was caught up in a bank robbery. How George died. I explained how they were still on the loose and how afraid I was to leave the house in fear of running in to one of them. Mr. Mason listened without interrupting. He had a sad expression on his face that was positively heart breaking.

"Well, when I was in the bank some of the robbers were saying some things. Well, anyways, Jacob, my father, and all the other police involved are trying to get one of them for rape."

Mr. Mason chocked on his wine that he was currently taking a sip out of. His brow wrinkled with concern again, "Did you?" He asked, worry lacing his voice.

I shook my head, letting out a shaky laugh, "No. He just scared me a bit, but nobody will believe me, and I know that what they did was horrible, and I lost a friend during the robbery, but I just can't let him get sent to jail for something he didn't do."

Mr. Mason frowned, "Why?" He asked taking a big bite of his pasta.

My eyes filled with tears and I took a big gulp of wine, "I don't know. I guess; he was just really nice to me. He helped me a lot. I know it sounds so stupid, but I just can't help it."

Mr. Mason was still looking at me incredulously, "Mr. Mason?" I asked.

"Please, call me . . . Henry." He hesitated, "And I understand completely."

"You do?" I asked with watery eyes.

Mr. Mason – Henry, nodded his head, "I get it. I understand what you're feeling."

"Really?"

"It's okay Bella." Henry stood up and walked to my side of the table. He held me close to him, "Everything will be okay. You have nothing to worry about. I'll protect you."

And for a second, I believed him.

**There is chapter 10! **

**So I haven't updated in a while. School has been keeping me pretty busy. I won't be updating every day, like I did in the summer, maybe once or twice a week now. I'm doing my best. So sorry! **

**Please review everybody. I always love hearing from people who read my stories. It's exciting checking for reviews. It doesn't take very long. Oh, and the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. **

**Thanks for reading! Keep your eyes out for the next chapter. **

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	11. Chapter 11

**I dont own Twilight.**

Henry and I talked for hours. We seemed to have a lot in common, from our interests in books, to music. We bothed enjoyed classical music very much, and Henry actually played the piano! He seemed to be just perfect. He was every girl's dream. Not to mention that he can cook! His food is good too. I'm impressed with him. Too bad he's my boss and it would be completely innapropriate to pursue a relationship with him. Besides, I've got way too much baggage for a girl my age. He wouldn't want to settle for me.

"So, tell me about your father Bella." Henry asked.

I just shrugged, "There's not much to tell. He's always been very controlling of my life. A little over protective. I can't handle it anymore. He's too overbearing. I love him, but i need to take control of my own life. I can't have him doing everything for me until he dies."

"Ahh. I see. This is your chance of breaking out of his shadow." Henry clarified.

I nodded, "It is in a way. I guess I'm just taking advantage of the situation. I'm trying to prove to him that I can make it without any help, that I'm an adult now and i don't need him looking over my shoulder every day. It seems a bit childish." I smiled sheepishly.

Henry shook his head, "Not at all. I know exactly what you mean." He didn't elaborate.

"What about your parents Henry?" I asked.

He was the one shrugging this time, "Not much to say really. I can't remember my mother, I don't remember much about my childhood. I think i had some type of accident that hindered my memory. My father wasn't the nicest guy either. He's just recently disappeared and I have no desire to search for him."

I felt a pang of sadness for this man sitting before me, "Don't you want to at least try reconnecting with your dad?" I asked.

Henry shook his had vehemently, "You don't know what he was like. He's a horrible, insufferable man that doesn't deserve to live in this world."

"Those are strong words." I said, slightly taken aback.

Henry shrugged, "It's the truth. If you met him, you would understand."

I thought for a minute. This was usually the reactin of abused children, "Was he abusive?" I asked.

Henry choked on his wine. He coughed and then dabbed his face with his napkin. "He was i suppose, though that wasn't his worst quality. Let's change to lighter topics."

Clearly he wasn't comfortable speaking about his personal life. I wasn't one to pry.

After that little blip in the conversation, we seemed to pick up pace. We were talking and laughing and if i may be so bold, were getting a little drunk. It felt good though, to let loose, to forget. I think that Henry was forgetting somehting too. I would find out soon enough.

Eventually, Henry went home. I called a cab for him. He wanted to drive but I insisted. I didn't want my new boss to get into a car accident. Then how would i get income? I'm only joking of course.

I cleaned up our plates and put everything in the dish washer. I then got ready for bed. Maybe tonight wasn't the best night to get intoxicated. I mean, i did have work tomorrow. I set my alarm and slipped in between the crisp sheets.

The next morning, my stupid alarm clock was waking me up. It made the most horrible and dreadful noise, but that was the only thing that actually got me up. I tried to have the radio as my alarm, but i would just fall back asleep. Then i tried my iPod, but i found myself lying in bed for quite a while just listening to my music. I figured the best way to get myself up would be to set my alarm clock across the room with the most horrible noise coming out of it. It forced me to get up.

I got dressed in some work clothes and i quickly did my hair. It fell into nice ringlets around my shoulders. I put on minimal make-up, not being in the mood to spend effort in my appearance. The effects of last night were wearing on me.

I checked the clock. I would be meeting Henry at his office in half an hour then proceed to follow him around the rest of the day. I checked for my PDA. It was safely nestled in my bag. All the other essentials were there too. I didn't have a cell phone, i obviously could not afford it. I could hardly afford food! The only other things in my purse was my wallet, my iPod, and a tube of lip glass, and some papers with a pen. I liked to travel light. I think that i might pick up a pack of mints or gum on the way to work.

I left the house early. I didn't really have any food to cook with. I thought about eating last night's dinner, but i figured that i would save that for dinner. I could always pick up a quick coffee at the gas station or something. Coffee there was cheap.

I grabbed all my things and headed down to my car where it waited faithfully, like every morning. I truly did love my car, though it may be ugly, it was reliable and that was all that mattered.

The day was a nice one. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. It made my crappy neighborhood seem just a little bit nicer. You just had to ignore the shady looking people and piles of trash that resided along the side of the road. I really needed to move. Maybe I could start saving up after my first check.

The drive to the gas station was a quick one. I filled up and then headed inside the tiny store to get a pack of gum and a coffee. I grabbed a bag of chips on the way too. I know, totally unhealthy, but i never have chips, sue me.

I headed towards the back of the store where they kept the coffee machines. It was no Starbucks, but it would do. It was all going to the same place anyways, whether it tastes good or not.

I poured myself a steaming cup and then added two creams, and 3 sugars. I liked my coffee sweet. I mostly drank coffee because of the caffeine, not because of the taste. The sugar helps dilude the strong taste.

On the way back to the check out counter i saw a flash of blond hair duck behind one of the isles. I whipped my head around in surprise. It coudln't be . . . could it? I mean, the police have no leads and this was a crappy neighborhood. It was quite likely that he would be lurking around here.

I quickened my pace, pulling out my wallet as i went. I needed to hurry and get out of here. There was no line, thank goodness, but the lady seemed to be moving extra slow. I guiltily admit that I snapped at her to hurry up. She did and i got out of there as quickly as possible.

I turned when i made it back to my car. It was a man, around the same height as James and he had the same shade of blond hair. He looked a bit pale and sickly but strong. He stood tall and glowering in my direction. No, i don't think I was mistaken. It must be him. He must've finally come for me.

I hopped into my truck and took off towards work. I wouldn't let him catch me. I was untouchable. I would be safe and Mr. Mason's office. He wouldn't dare enter that building. It was swarming with security guards, cameras and people. All viable witnesses for whatever he was planning to do. No, he would get me when there was no one around. Possibly in my own home. I felt apprehensive now at the thought of going home. What if he was there waiting for me?

I started to hyperventalate as the panic set in. I didn't know what i was going to do.

I made it to work alright and then I practically sprinted into the building and up the elevator. I left my coffee in the car. I couldn't bare the thought of ingesting anything. Plus if i drank the coffee now, i would be too jittery.

The elevator dinged, signaling that i was on Henry's floor. I fast walked all the way to Henry's office. I knocked quickly and I heard a muffled, "Come in."

I entered the office quickly, shutting the door behind me. Only then did I let myself relax. Henry looked up and peered closely at me with his beautiful big emerald eyes that were ringed with dark lashes. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

I shrugged and took a seat, "I'm fine."

"You don't looke or sound fine. You sound out of breath. And you look scared. What happened?" He demanded.

I sighed, "I think I'm just over reacting. I thought I saw one of the bank robbers at the gas station. I just got scared is all. It probably wasn't him."

Mr. Mason stared intently at me, "Have you spoken to the police about this?" He asked.

I shook my head, "I came straight here. It's probably nothing anyways. I think i just got freaked out."

Mr. Mason looked unconvinced, but let it go. He just handed me a folder full of papers that needed to be attended too and he began working on his computer again. I honestly wondered what he was doing on that thing all day.

The day wore on and Mr. Mason said that he needed to head home for a while and he asked if I would like to accompany him. I agreeed, mostly out of fear of going home and sheer curiosity about where he lived.

We headed down to Mr. Mason's car and he helped me in again. I asked if he wanted me to take my car and follow him, but he seemed to enjoy driving me around, though i would never understand why. We talked a bit more, mostly about the weather and other unimportant things, just making small talk.

We finally pulled up to a mansion. I gawked at it in surprise. It was beautiful and well kept. It was the grandest and most gorgeous house that I had eve seen. This was my dream house. Unfortunanlty, due to my poor income, I had to make my home in a shoe box of a shit hole.

"Do you like it?" Mr. Mason asked, almost shyly.

I nodded, "It's beautiful."

He gave me a dazzlingly bright crooked smile, "Good. Come along. I'll show you around."

I got out of the car and followed Mr. Mason up the large steps towards the intricate iron front door. It must've costed a fortune!

The inside was just as beautiful, if not more. There were marble stairs, which I knew to be a ton of money. I concluded that Mr. Mason was a very wealthy man.

He led me through all the rooms. I gasped when i saw the kitchen. It was magnificent. There was a beautiful island in the middle and the appliances were the best that were out there and immaculately clean.

Mr. Mason led me out of the kitchen and into a library. I was even more impressed. The library was simply magical. Books lined the walls and there were ladders running along the sides so that you could reach the books that were on the top. The library sort of reminded me like the one in Beauty and the Beast, only smaller. "Mr. Mason, this is simply wonderful."

He smiled at me, "You like books i take it."

"This is like my dream house!"

Mr. Mason chuckled, "Yes, well I put a lot of time into this place. It had to be absolutely perfect. It's the OCD in me."

I laughed lightly.

The rest of the day, Mr. Mason and I spent roaming around his home. I didn't bother to ask about his work. He seemed to have forgotten it completely.

I checked my clock to notice that it was surprisingly late. "I'm sorry Mr. Mason, but i should be getting home."

He checked his own watch and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize the time. I'll be back in one moment. I just need to make a quick call before i drive you back."

"Thank you." I responded.

I sat on the couch for a few minutes, just twidling my thumbs. I stood up figuring that I could get my things together while he was on the phone. As I approached the door, i heard Mr. Mason speaking on the phone to someone. "Just get it done. We can fix it in the morning. Yes. I know. Just do it. Thank you." Mr. Mason hung up and turned to find me standing there. Colour seemed to rise in his cheeks, maybe i wasn't supposed to hear the conversation. I didn't understand what he was talking about at all, so I figured that it wouldn't really matter. "Ready to go?" I asked him.

He smiled lightly and nodded.

We headed into his car and he drove quickly back to work. "Not to be rude or anything Bella. The way you have your home set up is quite nice, but I think that you live in a horrible location. Couldn't you find somewhere nicer?" He asked.

I just laughed, "I'm not offended, I actually agree with you. I'm actaully beginning to save up for a new place. My residence at the moment is becomign a hastle. It's not in the nicest place."

We made it to the parking lot and Mr. Mason parked his car beside my own. The parking lot was dark and empty. "Thank you for the wonderful day Mr. Mason. I'll see you tomorrow."

Mr. Mason waited as I got into my truck and attempted to start it. That's the problem though. It wouldn't start. I groaned in frustration. My reliable car couldn't have broken down on me! Mr. Mason stepped out of his car, "Is there a problem Ms. Swan?" He asked.

I nodded, "My dang car won't start. Do you mind if . . . could you give me a ride. I'm going to call a mechanic in the morning."

Mr. Mason smiled, "No worries. I can drive you. And don't worry yourself over the car. I'll have someone take a look at it."

"Really?" I asked gratefully. I felt guitly for letting him pay for my mechanic but i really didn't have the money and I couldn't afford to have my car towed and fixed. I knew that it would be really expensive and i didn't have that kind of money to pay for it.

"It's not problem. I like being your chauffer. It makes me feel important. I'll take you home."

I smiled at him and he opened the passenger door for me, just like a perfect gentleman.

Mr. Mason drove quickly all the way to my apartment. I think that he lived for the thrill of driving fast. Maybe he should've become a race car driver. It matches his personality and his insane driving.

Mr. Mason insisted on walking me all the way to my apartment door. He wanted to make sure that I got in safe. I waved to Sam on the way into the elevator, and Mr. Mason gave him an icy head nod, which Sam returned in the same fashion. Men. And Sam always seemed to be skulking around. He was a strange character, very nice, but strange nonetheless.

Mr. Mason and i were laughing and talking and I pulled the door of my apartment open. I was about to invite Mr. Mason in for a cup of tea or coffee when the experssion on his face stopped me. I was looking past my shoulder in horror. I turned to see what he was looking at.

My whole apartment had been broken into and ransacked.

**Hey everybody! Sorry for the slow updates. My laptop broke the other day so I had to buy a new one. Also, school has been keeping me pretty busy. I've already got a few tests coming up. Sheesh! **

**So what do you think about Mr. Mason's accident when he was a child that made him lose his memory? And what of that man that Bella saw at the gas station. And especially what do you think about Bella's apartment being broken into? Please review! I haven't been getting many lately and I'm a bit sad. **

**Oh and please pardon the spelling/grammar mistakes if there are any. It's extremely late but I just had to get a chapter out there. Sorry! **

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own Twilight . . . obviously.**

I gaped at my abode in horror. My poor apartment. My poor, poor apartment. I was in a state of shock. Who would do this? How did they get in? What was I going to do?

I took a step inside in a dazed state of mind. I needed to see everything. I needed to see all the damage that had been done. I wanted to know who did it, and then I would hurt them. Weapons might be involved. They were not going to get away with it.

Mr. Mason gently took hold of my shoulder, "Bella, it could be unsafe. What if somebody is still inside?"

I looked up at him fearfully. What if somebody was still inside? They could hurt him. I couldn't let that happen. Nobody needs to get hurt because of me. "What should we do?" I asked panicked.

He pulled out his blackberry and said, "I'll phone the police. We'll let them take care of it."

I zoned out of Mr. Mason's phone call with the police. I didn't want to hear him replaying what we are seeing. It would just make everything seem more real. All my things were destroyed. I wasn't a very materialistic person, but the few items that I did have were very important to me. Like my books. I wonder how my books are. I had them all nicely organized on my bookshelf. They were all in alphabetical order. I had maybe about 100 books on my book shelf. I would be simply devastated if those were ruined.

I couldn't stand waiting there anymore, just outside the door. I needed to see the damage to the full extent. I rushed inside quickly, before Mr. Mason could stop me again. I took everything in as I went. The couches were slashed, my fridge was on the ground and open with a few items rolling around the floor and the TV screen was smashed also. My few DVD's were out of their cases and broken in fragments on the carpet. I rushed off to my bedroom.

My sheets were ripped and torn and my pillows had the stuffing cut out of them. I quickly turned my gaze towards where my book shelf would be. Sure enough, it was toppled over and pages were fluttering across the room from the breeze that the broken window was making.

I hadn't bothered to turn the lights on. I sat down next to my pile of destroyed books, picked up a handful of pages, and then cried. I felt completely and utterly pathetic. I heard movement from behind me, but I didn't even bother to turn around. I knew that it was Mr. Mason.

I felt so ashamed. He probably thought that I was an unlucky nutcase. I think that I was an unlucky nutcase. Again, I was thinking about those therapy sessions that Carlisle had suggested. I just didn't know what I should do anymore.

"Bella?" Mr. Mason asked tenderly.

I just sniffled as I tried to quiet my tears. I felt him come closer to me. He sat down next to me. "I promise that I'll get these fixed for you. Each and every last one. I'll get you new ones. Don't worry Bella." He put his arm comfortingly around my shoulder. I shoved my face into the crook of his neck and sobbed. I know, completely unattractive and dramatic, but I couldn't help myself. My books were so important to me, and now they were gone. I've been collecting these my whole life. They each held sentimental value.

Eventually, the police showed up. They let themselves in since the door was already open. Mr. Mason didn't bother shutting it behind him.

The police concluded that the intruder broke into my home through my bedroom window. There's a fire escape right outside, giving easy access. I could've kicked myself. I should've seen that coming. I mean, I even sometimes used that fire escape as a short cut to the parking lot in the summer time. It was also a nice place to sit and read. I should've know that somebody could easily break into my window through there.

I'm just a naive small town girl. Maybe Charlie was right. No. I needed to stay strong. I needed to prove to him. If I go running back now, I will never get my chance to break away from him. He'll baby me forever.

Jacob ended up showing up also, which annoyed me a great deal. Mr. Mason and Jacob were having some weird stare down again. I cleared my throat and Jacob shifted his attention towards me. "Are you alright Bells?" He asked.

I shrugged, "Do you guys know who did it?"

Jacob shrugged in return, "We're not sure yet. We'll figure it out though."

Mr. Mason then thought that it would be a good time to say something, much to my chagrin, "Bella thought she saw one of the bank robbers earlier."

Jacob turned to me with wide eyes. I glowered at Mr. Mason, who shrugged his shoulders. Traitor. "What?" Jacob demanded.

I worried my bottom lip and said, "Well, I saw a blond man with the same build as the robber James and he was giving me a weird look so I just freaked out and automatically thought that it was James. I could've been mistaken though."

Jacob was writing what I was saying down, making me nervous. "And where was this?" He asked.

"Umm, at the gas station just down the road." I said.

Jacob nodded again. "I'll be right back." He then walked over towards other police officers and began showing them the notes. Great.

I turned to Mr. Mason, "Thank you for that."

"What?" He asked, looking surprised, "It was a vital piece of information. It was probably James that broke into your apartment."

I sucked in a panicked breath, "Do you really think so?"

Mr. Mason softened his expression, "Don't worry Bella. The police will find him."

"Really?" I asked dubiously, "They haven't really been doing that great of a job as is."

"Thanks." I heard Jacob mumble. Shit.

I turned around blushing slightly. Well, he deserved to know how I really feel about the work they've done here, which is absolutely nothing. I could hear Mr. Mason snickering behind me.

I turned and glared at him. He shrugged innocently. "I'll see you later Bella. Do you have a place to stay? You could always sleep over at my house." He asked a little too innocently.

Mr. Mason stopped laughing immediately. I felt uncomfortable. "Um, I've got some friends that I could stay with. Don't worry."

Jacob eyed Mr. Mason distastefully, "Well, if you need anything, I'm only a phone call away. I'll keep you updated on this situation. I think we've got all the evidence we need."

"Thank you Jacob."

He leaned in for a hug before he turned and left. I was as rigid as a board. I hadn't forgiven him yet. He still had some work to do.

Within an hour, all the police had cleared out of my apartment, causing it to look even more pathetic than before. The carpets were laced with dirt and mud and the police took no discretion in tossing my things around "searching for evidence" as they put it when I yelled at them.

Sam came by a few moments later and we chatted for a bit. Mr. Mason and Sam still had this weird aversion towards each other.

After Sam left, I sat down against the wall for a breather. Mr. Mason sat down next to me. "Do you really have friends that you could stay with?" He asked me.

I laughed without humour and shook my head no. Tears sprang to my eyes. Tears of anger and frustration.

Mr. Mason smiled, "How did I know you were lying?"

I just shrugged and the tears spilled over onto my cheeks. He pulled me in for a hug, "Don't worry Bella. You can stay with me."

I pulled away immediately, "No! I couldn't impose on you like that! And it's completely unprofessional!"

Mr. Mason laughed, "You've seen my house. It gets lonely there all by myself. Besides, I was going to ask you to move in eventually."

Butterflies came to my stomach and I looked at him confused. Seeing my expression he clarified, "For work. You are my personal assistant. I would eventually need you with me all the time. The year's just starting so things aren't that hectic yet."

"Oh." Duh! I felt so stupid. Not to mention embarrassed. Obviously he wasn't hinting at some sort of relationship. "Well, thank you Mr. Mason. I don't know what to say."

"How come you always call me by my last name?" He asked.

I looked at him, slightly taken aback, "Uh, well, no offense, but Henry doesn't really suit you. It doesn't seem like the right name for you."

Mr. Mason blushed, "Erm, I got a name change?" He asked almost as if it were a question.

"Oh. May I ask why?" I was curious.

Mr. Mason just shrugged nervously, "Well, it was Anthony before."

"Anthony?" It still didn't seem right.

"Yes."

"What's wrong with Anthony?" I asked.

"I don't know. You may call me Anthony if you'd like." He said with pleading eyes.

I shrugged, "I guess I could." Anthony was a little bit better, but there was still something off about it. Mr. Mason was a strange guy. I couldn't help but feel that he was lying about his name.

Anthony, I guess was his name now, stood up and offered a hand to me, "My lady." He said with a fake accent.

"Thank you kind sir." I replied in the same manner.

We both smiled as Mr. Ma – Anthony, led me out of my apartment and towards his car.

We were back at his wonderful house again. Mr. Mason parked in the garage. It was a six car garage and each garage had a car in it. They were all expensive sports cars. Mr. Mason must've been extremely wealthy. Again, as shallow as this sounds, I was impressed that his business went so well that he could actually afford all this stuff.

He led me into the house, turning on lights as he went. He led me up the beautifully carved marble staircase. "These are beautiful stairs Anthony." I said. Then I felt like an idiot. Stairs? I was complimenting him on his stairs?

Anthony beamed though, "Thank you Bella. I'm glad you noticed them. They're my favourite part of the whole house and no one really pays much attention to them. I'm glad you did though." That boosted up my pride a bit.

He led me down a beautiful hallway. One that I didn't see the day before since we didn't come upstairs. He led me down the hall and opened up a large carved wooden door. The door had hand carved flowers all along the edges. It was a work of art.

The room was even more spectacular. It was like a queen's room. There was a large beautiful white iron canopy bed with a rose theme to it. The windows were so high; they went from the floor to the ceiling, and they opened up into a beautiful balcony. My windows over looked the back of the property where there was a large rose garden and a lake farther back, towards the forested area. There was also a gazebo back there. It was simply wonderful.

I turned towards Anthony, "Oh my goodness," I began breathless, "This is so beautiful, but it's too much. I'm afraid I'll ruin it."

Anthony laughed, "You couldn't ruin it. I'm not giving you another room. This one is perfect for you."

He walked towards a door and he opened it. It led into a bathroom with a carved marble floor and bathtub. The bathtub was connected to the floor. It wasn't carved and then glued on top, but it was literally carved out of the floor. The counters were black granite and everything was in pristine condition. "This is the bathroom. I'll bring you a change of clothes for you to sleep in tonight, and then tomorrow we could go shopping."

"Shopping?" I squeaked out.

"Yes. I would like to buy you things for your bedroom if need be and go buy you some clothes." Anthony suggested.

"Um, maybe we could just go back to my apartment and see if there are any clothes that I could salvage." I suggested instead.

Mr. Mason shook his head, "There is not. We are going to buy you some things whether you like it or not. You can't dictate what I can spend my money on." He teased.

I pouted and then blushed embarrassed, "I'm sorry but I really can't afford it."

Mr. Mason paused, "Bella, I'm buying it for you, no if's ands or buts. Just let me do this one thing for you."

I sighed but then nodded my head timidly. "Great!" He beamed at me. God, he was happy. "I'll go start on dinner! You could relax here for a bit if you would like, or you could come down with me. Just remember that this is your home now, so feel free to go wherever you would like. We could even watch a movie in the basement if you want! I've got a popcorn machine. Or we could go for a swim. Wait, you don't have a bathing suit. That's going to be added to the list of things I need to buy you. What would you like for dinner I have . . ."

"Um, sorry to interrupt Anthony, but you're talking awfully fast. Why don't we just go down and start dinner." I said.

Anthony blushed, "Sorry. I'm not used to taking care of people, or having guests so I'm a bit excited.

I smiled at him, "No worries. Now let's go see about dinner."

**There you have it! Chapter 12! Isn't Henry/Anthony/ Ed so cute? And doesn't his house sound amazing? **

**I just wanted to get this chapter out there because pretty soon I'll be busy with school and tests. I actually should be studying right now for my French test, but I figured that this was funner and more important. And I know that 'funner' is not a word. **

**Anyways, please review. I spend the time to write for you guys so I would appreciate the feed-back. Thanks for everyone who reviews already! They make me so happy and excited to read them. Keep an eye out for the next chapter! Thanks!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own Twilight!**

Anthony and I talked a great deal while he made dinner. He insisted on making a pizza himself. I said that we could just ordered, but he prefers a home cooked meal. I offered to help, but he started going off about how he's supposed to be taking care of me and he would feel bad if I helped, so I just sat back on the bar stool and watched as he expertly chopped ingredients.

Dinner went by fairly quickly. His pizza was delectable, much like his pasta. He really was a good cook. He might need to give me lessons. I admit that I'm a bit rusty.

Anthony and I decided to head straight to bed. We were both tired from the exhausting day. It was stressful and strenuous and we just needed a fresh start that the next day promised.

I was almost afraid to get ready for bed. I didn't want to mess everything up. It was all so beautiful and grand. Charlie and I used to share a small bathroom that hadn't had maintenance since he moved in. He's been living there since he was 19. The bathroom needs a little tune up.

I finally crawled into bed. The mattress was soft. Way softer than any mattress I had ever slept on before. I felt like I was in a hotel.

I fell asleep fairly quickly. I felt safe for once. I knew that no one could break through the walls that lined Anthony's property. He was pretty anal, but who was I to judge. I was too!

The next morning I woke up fairly early and I couldn't fall back to sleep. I suppose I did feel a bit odd about sleeping over at my boss' house. I mean, who does that. And even if Anthony was going to suggest I move in with him, usually there's a small guest house somewhere, especially when this property is so big!

Since I couldn't go back to sleep, I decided that I'll wake up and make Anthony some breakfast. I mean, it was the least I could do, since he was providing a home for me.

I crept quietly down the stairs. Everything was silent and the sun was only beginning to peek over the clouds.

I quietly tried to manoeuvre my way around the kitchen. I searched the kitchen thoroughly and found everything I would need to make Crepes. Everyone usually liked them. I added 4 eggs, 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of milk. I mixed until it turned into a golden batter. I had previously put the pan on the stove so it was nice and hot.

As the crepes were cooking, I went to the fridge and got out some fruits. I set the blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries into bowls. I placed them strategically on the table. I grabbed the strawberry bowl though and brought them back to the kitchen. They needed to be sliced into nice bite sized pieces in order to eat them with my Crepes.

I got the cutting board out and a knife. I began to slice away. By the third strawberry, my mind had wandered and I was thinking about my apartment and my books. I wondered if I could get them fixed somehow. I knew that I would never have the money though. Maybe I could replace them all? But that would also be extremely expensive. My shoulders slumped and the knife jerked forward, slicing my palm.

I let out a shriek as the blade sliced the heel of my palm, right near my thumb. I stared in horror as the blood oozed out, covering my wrists. Before I could hold my breath though, I got that scent of blood in my nose, like metal. My brain went fuzzy and my vision blurred. I could feel myself slipping, though I tried to hold on. Waves of nausea washed over me and I could feel myself falling. The knife clattered to the floor. I could faintly smell my Crepes burning, and I prayed to god that I didn't burn Anthony's house down, before slipping into darkness.

"Bella! Bella! Oh my god, are you alright? Say something!" I could hear a voice and I could feel hands cradling me.

My eyelids fluttered open and I was looking into the emerald eyes of Anthony. I gave him a weak smile. "Hey." I croaked pathetically.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He demanded.

I attempted to sit up, but Anthony held me in his arms firmly, "Don't try to move. You're as white as a sheet. I think you hit your head too. Did you fall?" He asked.

I nodded. "I was cutting strawberries and I cut my hand."

Edward looked down at my hand and frowned for a moment, until realization dawned on him. "You faint at the sight of blood?" He asked. I nodded, pathetically. The corners of Anthony's mouth turned up.

My hand actually was stinging quite a bit though. I'm pretty sure the knife cut quite deeply. Anthony turned serious again when he saw I was in pain, "Let me see your hand. How deep is it?"

I showed him my palm carefully. His long, graceful fingers gently prodded, "Jesus Bella. This is deep. I'm going to have to take you to the hospital."

He propped me up against the island and said, "I'm going to grab a dishtowel." He was gone for about 3 seconds before he popped back to my side. He expertly wrapped the towel around my hand and before I could say anything to protest, he scooped me up and cradled me in his arms.

He didn't waver as he carried me through the house and to the garage. He buckled me in before hurrying over to the driver's side.

As he backed out I said, "Could you take me to Dr. Cullen? He's a friend of mine."

"Sure thing." Anthony replied.

We didn't talk much, except when I gave directions to the hospital that Carlisle worked at. I was focusing too much on breathing in through my mouth and trying to ignore the stinging pain in my hand, and Anthony was focused on the insane driving he was doing.

We pulled in to the hospital and Anthony parked illegally. He rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms again, "Anthony, put me down, seriously, it's just my hand." I was actually embarrassed to be carried into an emergency room, if just my hand was cut.

Anthony gave me a stern frown and I returned it with one of my own. Anthony placed me carefully on the ground and I tried to walk myself to the sliding doors of the hospital. The world tilted and seemed to be meeting me face first.

Before I could greet the ground, Anthony's strong, secure arms caught me and he swung me up, "You're pale again."

I barely heard him. Everything was going fuzzy and my vision was once again clouding. I should've listened to him.

We walked in to the emergency room and I vaguely remember Anthony cutting in front of about 9 people that were waiting for their turn at the front desk. Anthony then did some arguing and threatening in order to get Carlisle down to see me right away.

A nurse brought out a wheel chair for me and Anthony sat me down in it. I was thoroughly embarrassed. He was making too big of a deal out of all of this. Anthony also wouldn't let anyone near the wheelchair. He wouldn't even let the nurse wheel me to the room that I was assigned. Anthony was being very . . . protective.

Once we were in my room (a private one), we waited for approximately 5 minutes before Anthony began to frustrated pull at his hair and pace around the room. He also rambled quite a bit. "Where is the doctor? Who is running this place? I swear to god if someone doesn't come in the next 5 seconds, this hospital will be shut down. You could be bleeding to death! What if you get an infection? I'll sue them if you get sick – "

"Anthony! Calm down! I've had worse. Don't worry. You need to stop. You're going to give yourself a heart attack!" I protested.

Good thing Carlisle walked in. "Good! You're finally here! Bella needs to be looked at urgently!"

I stood out of the wheel chair, to greet Dr. Cullen. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you also, though the circumstances are a bit . . . unfortunate. I'm actually surprised that you're back this soon." Carlisle joked.

"This is no time for jokes! If you are unable to take this seriously, I will hire my own doctor." Anthony said heatedly.

I gaped at him in horror, "Anthony! I'm sorry, but that was rude. Carlisle is my friend and he is an excellent doctor.

Edward blushed in shame. "I'm sorry Dr. Cullen. I'm just a bit worried is all."

Carlisle turned his kind eyes to me, "I understand. Now let's take a look at that hand."

I turned my palm face up to Carlisle and looked away. Carlisle whistled, "This is a pretty deep cut. It'll need a couple stitches. I'll be right back."

As Carlisle turned to leave the room, his steps faltered and he turned back to Anthony with a weird look in his eye, "Have I met you before? You seem familiar to me."

Anthony looked confused and he shook his head carefully, "I don't believe we have." He held out his hand, "Anthony Mason."

Carlisle still had the puzzlingly sad expression in his eye, "Carlisle Cullen." They shook hands.

Anthony frowned this time, "Cullen you say?" He asked.

Carlisle nodded at him carefully, "That name rings a bell somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't remember."

Carlisle gave a weak smile, "Must be déjà vu." He turned and left the room.

I turned to Anthony, "Do you know him?"

Anthony slowly shook his head, "I don't. At least, I don't think so." Anthony sank down in a chair that was beside the window, deep in thought. I decided to leave him alone for a moment so he could think whatever it was through.

We didn't have to wait long before Carlisle returned. I guess he knew how impatient Anthony was.

Carlisle guided me down to a chair and gently held my left hand in his palm. I looked away as he began the procedure of freezing my hand and stitching it. I never had a very strong stomach.

Anthony picked up his chair and came closer to me. He held my right hand. Our eyes connected and he seemed to be silently comforting me. I became relaxed immediately. Anthony's green eyes were so soothing.

Carlisle cleared his throat, "We're all finished here."

I looked away from Anthony, slightly embarrassed. My cheeks blushed faintly. Carlisle stood up smiling, "How'd you two meet anyways?" Carlisle asked.

I didn't want to say. It was quite embarrassing that my own boss was housing me and caring for me. "We know each other through work." Was Anthony's response.

I let out a breath of release. That wasn't too bad of a response. Carlisle smiled warmly. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have some other patients that need to be taken care of. My wife and I are going to have a get together sometime, if you'd be willing to come. You could bring your friend also." Carlisle turned his warm gaze on Anthony.

"I'd like that." I said, "Tell Esme I say hi." Anthony's head jerked slightly and he frowned as if he were in deep concentration.

"Bye Bella. And bye Anthony. It was nice to meet you." The two men shook hands.

Anthony put his arm around my waist and gently guided me out of the room as Carlisle finished cleaning up. I gazed down at my left hand. It was wrapped thickly with gauze.

My eyes widened in sudden horror, "Oh no!" I groaned.

"What is it? Are you in pain?" Anthony asked panicked.

I shook my head, "The breakfast I was making! I left it on the stove!"

Anthony sighed, "Don't worry. I shut the oven off before we left. It smelled amazing by the way. What were you making?" He asked.

"Crepes. They're like French pancakes. Way better than regular pancakes because they don't get all soggy."

"I hate soggy pancakes!" Anthony exclaimed.

I grinned at him and the automatic doors slid open for us. "I'm sorry it's ruined now though."

Anthony shrugged, "That's alright. We could make them another time together."

When we got home and walked into the kitchen the first thing we smelled was smoke. We opened some of the windows to air out the house and we began to clean up the kitchen. Anthony graciously said that he would clean up the blood so that I wouldn't get sick again. He told me that I wasn't allowed to do a lot because of my hand, which I thought was completely ridiculous.

We ended up having to chuck out the pan since the crepe that was on it was permanently burnt off. Anthony tried his best to get the charred food off, but in the end he said that it wasn't worth the energy and he'd rather buy a brand new pan instead.

So after the kitchen was fully cleaned, we were pretty tired. I pretty much destroyed the stove top and we spent a good hour trying to clean it. We were almost finished, but Anthony saw that I started to break a sweat while scrubbing too hard and he said that we should both sit down as to not do anything too strenuous for me. He really was too cute.

So we were sitting on the couch in his vast living room. I finally allowed myself to relax. We were sitting in silence for a while, until Anthony asked, "What's one thing that you miss most from your apartment?"

I didn't have to think, "My books."

"The ones that were destroyed?" He asked.

Tears sprung to my eyes just thinking about them, "Ah shit. I'm sorry Bella. I shouldn't have said that. I could buy you new books if you would like?"

I smiled a watery smile at him, "It's alright. And it's just that a lot of those books held sentimental value for me. I got one on my sixteenth birthday, another one was from my grandma and it was the last gift she gave me. I got one signed by my favourite author and one of the books was a gift from my dad which was so thoughtful because he usually just gave me money for my birthday. Almost all my books are sentimentally important to me. It's just kind of upsetting is all. Now all of them are ripped apart!"

Anthony put his arm around me, "It's going to be okay. We'll make new memories. I promise. And nothing like that will ever happen here. You're completely safe."

**There it is! I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been so busy with school and I've hardly had time for anything. I need to plan my time better. I hope you liked this chapter. More interesting stuff will happen next chapter. I won't spoil it, but it will be a fun chapter to write. **

**Thanks for all those people who are still hanging on and reading my story. I'm really trying with my updates here! Thanks!**

**~greeneyes-99 (Nat) **


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